JNM journalist Hardeep Jamwal, Jammu
The six-day strike by employees of the Health and Medical Education Department in Jammu has finally ended. Following a crucial meeting between Health Minister Sakina Ittoo and the Joint Action Committee on Monday, the employees announced their withdrawal. With this, all employees will return to their workplaces from Tuesday, allowing normalcy in hospitals to return.
The strike began in protest against the decision to discontinue the allowance, which was equivalent to two and a half days’ salary for working on Sundays and holidays. The employees stated that discontinuing this allowance was unfair to them due to their continuous service.
During the meeting, the Joint Action Committee strongly presented its demands to the minister. They clearly stated that health workers provide services under all circumstances, whether on holidays or during festivals, and their rights cannot be taken away. Health Minister Sakina Ittoo agreed with the employees, stating that the decision was unfair and would be rectified soon.
The minister assured that the two-and-a-half-day allowance would be reinstated, and a formal order would be issued soon. She also stated that health workers are the backbone of the department, and without them, the smooth functioning of health services is impossible.
Following this positive response from the government, the Joint Action Committee decided to end the strike. Committee representatives Sushil Sudan and Jaswinder Singh stated that the issue has now been resolved following the minister’s assurance, and the employees are returning to work.
The strike had disrupted hospital outpatient and other services for the past six days, causing significant inconvenience to the public. Now, with the return of the employees, health services are expected to resume.
Several representatives, including Sushil Sudan, Jaswinder Singh, Arun Sharma, Prafulat Singh, Harpreet Kaur, Anoop Kohli, and Surjeet Rajan, were present at the meeting.
