SVP nurses protest over pay-cut mail
Protesting staff outside SVP Hospital on Monday morning; Pic: JIGNESH VORA
‘We put our duty ahead of our families... this is humiliating’
Protest after outsourcing agency sends mail aboutsalary cut , late disbursal; resume work after AMC’s assurances
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation-runSVP Hospital , one of the major Covid hospitals in the city, saw protests from around 75 nurses on Monday morning after they received mails informing them about pay cut and delay in salary disbursement. The email was sent to around 350 nurses on June 2 by UDF, the agency that outsources nursing staff , paramedical staff, technicians and guest-relation executives to SVP.
The mail stated that those being paid monthly salary of Rs 30,000 will receive Rs 22,000 and those receiving Rs 20,000 will get Rs 14,000 with effect from June. Besides, the salary would be handed over on the 20th of every month instead of between the 7th and the 10th. However, AMC and SVP officials sprang into action. They immediately served a legal notice to UDF and took control of staff management.
The nurses began protesting after their Sunday night shift. Nurses in the morning shift too joined the protests. Patients had to face inconvenience for around 90 minutes before AMC arranged for more nurses, said sources.
SVP Superintendent Dr SP Malhan said, “What UDF did was not right. The salary of the nurses will not be deducted. Nobody will be removed from the job. We are taking over the management of the nurses and other staff.” After assurance from the AMC, the nurses called off the protests. A notification by AMC on Monday, applicable to outsourcing and contractual agencies’ staff, stated “no service conditions shall be altered adversely without the prior permission of the corporation”.
Sources said that when the nurses went to UDF office on the premises to make a representation, they were turned away saying they could either leave the job or continue working for the salary mentioned in the mail.
A nurse said that UDF told them the salaries were being deducted to adjust the cost of PPE kit and mask being provided to them. However, PPE kit and masks are supplied by AMC. Besides, AMC also bears the expenses of their quarantine at a city club and has even allocated 11 BRTS buses exclusively for the staff. In addition to this, the nurses are being paid Rs 250 extra as allowance, sources told Mirror.
UDF Project Head Praful Jain said, “For the past 1.5 years, we have been supplying well-qualified and trained nursing, paramedical, technical staff and guest relation executives to the hospital. However, due to the lockdown, we have not been able to afford the expenses. So, on June 2, we sent mails to around 350 nurses, informing them about 10-20% salary cut.”
Following the protests, some of the nurses were also issued notices warning them against indiscipline.
Ajunior nurse told Mirror, “We put our duty towards patients above our own family and have been serving in Covid ward. It’s unacceptable to us if we are told that our salaries are being deducted and even the deducted salary will be paid late. It is humiliating.”
A senior nurse said, “My daughter delivered a baby and I have yet not taken leave to go and see her. I am either in quarantine or on duty. I have put duty above my own family. Despite this, our employer UDF decided to deduct the salary instead of giving us a raise. That is the reason we protested.”
Civil Hospital staffer succumbs to Covid
Rajnibhai Vaghela, 35, a class IV employee of Civil Hospital, succumbed to Covid-19 on Monday. After three days of Covid duty, his condition worsened, said his uncleKanubhai Vaghela. On Friday morning, he was taken to UN Mehta Hospital. His samples were collected on Sunday,Kanubhai said. Following his death, class IV employees at the hospital alleged they were not being quarantined properly. However, hospital Superintendent J V Modi said, “As per Centre’s guidelines, all employees are assigned 10 days of Covid duty, 5 days of quarantine and 7 days of non-Covid duty. We have requested state government to compensate the family .”
Protest after outsourcing agency sends mail about
Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation-run
The mail stated that those being paid monthly salary of Rs 30,000 will receive Rs 22,000 and those receiving Rs 20,000 will get Rs 14,000 with effect from June. Besides, the salary would be handed over on the 20th of every month instead of between the 7th and the 10th. However, AMC and SVP officials sprang into action. They immediately served a legal notice to UDF and took control of staff management.
The protests ended after the nurses were assured there will be no pay cuts as well as timely disbursal of salaries. SVP CEO and Assistant Commissioner of AMC Ramya Kumar Bhatt told Mirror, “We have given a notice to UDF and we will take over the management of the staff. We will take legal action against UDF.”
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The nurses began protesting after their Sunday night shift. Nurses in the morning shift too joined the protests. Patients had to face inconvenience for around 90 minutes before AMC arranged for more nurses, said sources.
SVP Superintendent Dr SP Malhan said, “What UDF did was not right. The salary of the nurses will not be deducted. Nobody will be removed from the job. We are taking over the management of the nurses and other staff.” After assurance from the AMC, the nurses called off the protests. A notification by AMC on Monday, applicable to outsourcing and contractual agencies’ staff, stated “no service conditions shall be altered adversely without the prior permission of the corporation”.
Sources said that when the nurses went to UDF office on the premises to make a representation, they were turned away saying they could either leave the job or continue working for the salary mentioned in the mail.
A nurse said that UDF told them the salaries were being deducted to adjust the cost of PPE kit and mask being provided to them. However, PPE kit and masks are supplied by AMC. Besides, AMC also bears the expenses of their quarantine at a city club and has even allocated 11 BRTS buses exclusively for the staff. In addition to this, the nurses are being paid Rs 250 extra as allowance, sources told Mirror.
UDF Project Head Praful Jain said, “For the past 1.5 years, we have been supplying well-qualified and trained nursing, paramedical, technical staff and guest relation executives to the hospital. However, due to the lockdown, we have not been able to afford the expenses. So, on June 2, we sent mails to around 350 nurses, informing them about 10-20% salary cut.”
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Following the protests, some of the nurses were also issued notices warning them against indiscipline.
Ajunior nurse told Mirror, “We put our duty towards patients above our own family and have been serving in Covid ward. It’s unacceptable to us if we are told that our salaries are being deducted and even the deducted salary will be paid late. It is humiliating.”
A senior nurse said, “My daughter delivered a baby and I have yet not taken leave to go and see her. I am either in quarantine or on duty. I have put duty above my own family. Despite this, our employer UDF decided to deduct the salary instead of giving us a raise. That is the reason we protested.”
Rajnibhai Vaghela, 35, a class IV employee of Civil Hospital, succumbed to Covid-19 on Monday. After three days of Covid duty, his condition worsened, said his uncle
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