Employees of PVS Memorial hospital in Kochi including doctors and nurses have restarted protests in front of the hospital as the management failed to deliver on the promise that salary dues will be settled.
Protesting over the issue, scores of employees held a sit-in protest in front of the hospital on Friday.
Hundreds of staff of PVS hospital started their initial protest in the first week of May demanding immediate pay of their salaries that have been pending for months together. Days after the protest, on May 20, workers ended the agitation after reaching a consensus with the management that payment would be done in instalments in the following weeks.
“As per the consensus, the first instalment was to be paid by May 24 and second instalment by June 10. But a section of us were not paid first instalment. When we questioned about that, management told us that it would be added up with the second instalment. But even after four days since the deadline for the second instalment, many of us have not received any payment,” said Vyshak, a nursing staff of the hospital.
The employees on Thursday blocked the administrative office of the hospital. The incident created a ruckus as police came to the spot. “Almost all the departments in the hospital have been shut down by the administration last month,” added Vyshak.
As per the memorandum signed by representatives of the employees, hospital administration and regional joint Labour Commissioner of Ernakulam, one month’s salary amounting to about Rs one crore will be paid to all the employees (who have resigned and the present staff) as the first instalment, by May 24. The second instalment was to be given by June 10. The hospital’s Managing Director PV Mini is also one of the signatories to the memorandum.
But the employees have now restarted the protest as they have not received these salary instalments as promised.
“We are not going to stop the protest again as last time. The administration has violated the memorandum. We stopped the protest last month believing their word,” Nithin, another nurse told TNM.
He also alleged that administration was not giving the employees experience certificate.
The memorandum also states that the administration will settle the full dues for every one — the present staff and those who resigned by August 20, 2019. The due amount is proposed to be credited to the bank accounts of employees.