Over 200 contractual workers of Raiganj Med Hospital go on strike

Raiganj: More than 200 contractual employees of Raiganj Medical College & Hospital (RGMC), including security staff, housekeeping personnel, ward boys and girls, have stopped working since Monday night. The workers are demanding immediate payment of their pending monthly salaries and Durga Puja bonus, as the festive season is fast approaching. Service is being affected owing to this.

Indrani Jha Saha, a ward girl at RGMC, expressed her frustration: “Only 11 days remain for Durga Puja, yet neither our bonus nor the current month’s salary has been paid. We hail from economically backward families. Our families are struggling with meager wages provided by the agency that employs us. The grocers are not providing us commodities as the previous due remains. Our strike will continue until both the bonus and salaries are cleared.”

Priyankar Roy, vice-principal of RGMC, confirmed that patient services are being seriously affected due to the strike and said: “The absence of contractual workers is disrupting critical services. Continuation of patient care is becoming impossible. We urge the agitating workers to resume duty and have called upon higher authorities to resolve the issue immediately by ensuring the payment of dues”.