As Odisha CM abolishes contractual employment, Karnataka healthcare employees demand same action

Now, with yet another state doing to contractual workers what they had been yearning for, the workers in Karnataka are pushing for it more than ever.

Contractual workers speak out

Karnataka State Health and Medical Education Department Contractual and Outsourced Employees Association (KSHCOEA) president Vishvaradya H Yamoji, in conversation with South First, noted: “Haryana did it, Punjab then and now Odisha has done it. Manipur and Assam are also soon going to do this.”

He added: “Himachal Pradesh has decided to give the same salary to contractual employees as permanent ones. Why isn’t the Karnataka government making up its mind on the matter?”

Some contractual employees even took to Twitter to demand the pay parity their counterparts in other states have witnessed.

Great move to eradicate modern slavery system NHM and other contractual system history will remember you like Ambedkar hatts off sir @Naveen_Odisha pls consider in Karnataka to @CMofKarnataka

— Shankar Pawar (@Shankarpawar10) October 16, 2022

Why it is not happening in Karnataka sir health department NHM contractual staff are already permanent in Hariyana panjab and now in odisha also
When will be it happens in Karnataka?……….. pic.twitter.com/uO4ZMjYXSR

— Kumar Lakshmannavar (@kumarlakshmann) October 16, 2022

30,000 healthcare employees’ future bleak

In Karnataka, over 1.5 lakh contractual staffers work in the 72 departments of the state government.

They include those employed in the health, home, agriculture, urban development, tourism, education, food and civil supplies, power, water resources, excise, and medical education departments.

Around 30,000 of them, including MBBS/AYUSH medical officers, anaesthetists, physicians, paediatricians, staff nurses, auxiliary nurse midwives, lab technicians, and pharmacists are under the Health Department’s National Health Mission.

As such, they are all part of the KSHCOEA, which was set up in 2005. Nearly two decades down the line, and it is yet to achieve one of its key objectives: getting permanent-job status for its contractual-employee members.

An employee from the association told South First, “Our life is pathetic, especially post-pandemic, and the government has decided to turn a blind eye to us.”

‘Tareekh pe Tareekh’

The association has several long-pending demands. One is that of a hike in pay for contractual employees that will take on a par with that of permanent employees. The other is job security mainly.

And each time it has approached the state government with these demands, Yamoji said they got “tareekh pe tareekh”, quoting the 1990s superhit film Damini.

“There have been nearly 45-50 correspondence letters from the CMO asking the chief secretary to consider our demands, several promises from the health minister, and the NHM director’s assurance. But our demands are still not met,” he said

Yet another meeting?

The association members told South First that they decided to go on a mass protest during the recently-held Assembly session in the state.

However, the Health Ministry then promised that it will hold the meeting with them soon, but kept postponing, and finally the session was over. On 20 October, yet another meeting is promised by Health Minister K Sudhakar.

KSHCOEA principal secretary Srikantaswamy told South First, “We have been promised another meeting this Thursday. We don’t know if there will be any outcome, but we are submitting another memorandum seeking permanent employment to all 30,000 healthcare workers, and also give the example of the Odisha chief minister’s decision.”

Salary alone is not the issue

Savitha, a nursing officer at a Public Health Centre in the Hassan district of Karnataka, told South First: “Every month, I am paid ₹12,000 as salary, but a nursing officer who is a permanent employee under the NHM gets paid at least ₹33,000. Why so much disparity? My son asks me why he can’t go to the same school as the permanent employee’s son. How do we survive on such little salary?”

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, the employees asked the government and Health Department officials to pay immediate attention to renewing their bond every year.

“It is a sort of contract renewal. Our work is assessed every year. Officials should pay attention to our problems — especially those that women face — during this exercise,” they said.

The employees alleged that the officials even ask for sexual favours from women and make it extremely difficult for them.

“We have received several complaints about such issues, but many women are scared to open up about this. The government should probe it and get details,” said a nurse from the KSHCOEA.

Yamoji said: “Every time we threaten to go on a strike, there is one order issued, and it just remains on paper. From Covid-19 compensation issues to yearly bonds, there are multiple problems. Our demand for equal pay and job security has not been met at all, despite several promises.”