Noida: Not Paid for Three Months, ESIC Hospital Employees Stage Protest

Lucknow: As many as 120 workers – staff nurses, pharmacists, lab technicians, nursing orderlies, housekeeping staff and those who maintain medical records – of the Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospital in Sector 24, Noida, staged a sit-in outside the hospital premises on Wednesday. The employees refused to work and claimed that they had not been paid their salary for three months, even after being tasked with tracing those suspected to have contracted COVID-19.

ESIC employees staged a demonstration outside the hospital building and raised slogans against the “anti-labour” attitude of its authorities and of Shree Udyog Enterprises, the manpower agency which helped them secure employment. Dr. Balraj Bhandar, the newly-appointed Director of ESIC Hospital, met the agitating workers and asked them to call off the strike. Despite his promises that their issued would be resolved, the employees refused to budge.

Robin Sharma, a staff member who has worked at the hospital for close to five years, said ESIC had not paid its employees for three months. "We have taken up the issue with the authorities on many occasions, but we have not been paid yet. Whenever we raise this issue the administration threatens to fire us from the hospital," he added.

Sharma added that the staff did not have personal protection equipment (PPE) kits in the initial period of the pandemic, and that the system in place was not up to standard either. They were provided with PPE kits and other protection gear later. However, he said the quality of the protection equipment was compromised and that the quality of the material was not up to standard as well.

The ESIC hospitals are run under the auspices of Union Ministry of Labour and Employment.

"People are hailing us as 'corona warriors' and are clapping for us. The government is praising us and showering flower petals on the hospital. While it is good that people respect us, is this the way? We want our salaries. I want people to know that health workers are not valued and are not getting salaries as a result," he added.

The agitating employees said that the protest will continue until their salary is paid. Hospital authorities said they are looking into the issue and the matter would be resolved soon.

NewsClick reached out to Dr. Vanora, the deputy medical superintendent of the hospital, and Dr. Bhandar, for their response. “Sir, please come to our hospital and let us have a discussion over a cup of coffee,” Dr. Bhandar told NewsClick, and disconnected the phone.

A member of the nursing staff, who wished to remain anonymous, said they were being treated inhumanly. “We are denied casual leaves, wage increments and other statutory benefits that we are entitled to. We are completely dependent on our wages and we have not been paid for the last three months. How can we sustain our families without wages? The director and other concerned officials are not paying any attention to our woes. We are left with no option but to go on strike to press for our legitimate demands,” she added.

In addition to the permanent employees, many contractualised workers of ESIC complained about salary deductions.

According to the employees, the hospital management had deducted from their salaries and treated the lockdown as leave. “Earlier, we used to get Rs, 42,000 per month but over the past few months, we have been getting Rs 14,000 instead,” a member of the staff told NewsClick, adding that those under contract are risking their lives and those of their family members by continuing to work during the pandemic. In addition, they have been unable to pay their house rent, travel expenses and have been facing difficulties to buy essential commodities.

The condition of healthcare workers at other Employees’ State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) Hospitals is no different. The nurses’ union had even resorted to a series of protests last month, and had raised issues including the implementation of fixed hours of duty, the substandard quality of PPE kits and that they had not been getting their salaries on time.

Notably, the ESIC hospital hit the headlines a week ago when a pregnant woman was denied admission, leading to her death. Thirty-year-old Neelam, who was eight months pregnant, died in an ambulance in Greater Noida last Friday, after her husband and she could not find a bed in the hospital.