Chandigarh: Following the Punjab and Haryana High Court orders contractual workers of the PGI today called off their strike after a week. Sanitation attendants were first to return to work in the morning. Soon, bearers and cooks of the dietetics branch put on their uniforms to prepare food for patients of various departments. Rajesh Chauhan, president, Hospital Attendants Association; and Vikramjit Singh, president, All Contract Workers Union; held a meeting with the Medical Superintendent and Head, Department of Hospital Administration, Prof Vipin Koushal, to put forth their demands. These include the release of pending arrears by the month-end and the withdrawal of the “no pay, no work” clause, which was implemented in the wake of the strike.
The administration refused to give anything in writing. It said all pending arrears and bonus were to be calculated and given upon the approval and transfer of about Rs 30 crore by the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The union leaders held a long meeting with workers and finally returned to work. Their arrears have been due since October, 2018.
