Samba, April 6: Health employees at the District Hospital in Samba on Monday ended their five-day strike after receiving assurances from the government regarding their pending salary-related demands. The protest had disrupted routine medical services at the hospital, affecting patient care over the past several days.
The employees had gone on strike over the issue of payment for 2.5 days’ salary, which they alleged was being partially deducted despite earlier payments being made in full. Workers claimed that after orders were issued from the office of the Director Finance, a portion of the salary began to be withheld, leading to dissatisfaction among the staff.
Talking to The News Now, the District President of the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Employees Federation said that the restoration of the deducted wages was their primary demand. He stated that employees had previously received the full payment for the 2.5 days, but later instructions from finance authorities resulted in salary cuts, forcing them to launch the strike.
He further said that the decision to suspend the protest was taken after Jammu and Kashmir Health Minister Sakina Itoo held a meeting with employee representatives and assured them that the pending salary issue would be resolved soon.
However, the union has issued a two-week ultimatum to the authorities, warning that if their demands are not addressed within the given timeframe, the health employees will resume their strike.
Following the suspension of the agitation, normal services have started to resume at District Hospital Samba, while employees remain hopeful that the government will act on its assurances within the stipulated period.
