Telangana's VRDL staffers demand pay, threaten boycott

WARANGAL: Over 16 staff members working at the Government Virology Research and Diagnostic Laboratory (VRDL) in Kakatiya Medical College (KMC) have not received their salaries for the past four months. The staff is planning to boycott duties in the lab, seeking the release of their pending salaries.

Authorities at the KMC Microbiology Department had recruited 21 outsourced workers for the lab. Of the 21, 16 were being paid salaries by the State government and the remaining five by the Central government. A staffer, on the condition of anonymity, said that they were administering RT-PCR tests for 500-600 Covid-19 samples everyday. 

“We have been working for long hours without taking any leave, but the State government has not paid us our salaries. Those who got recruited by the Central government are getting paid regularly. We are risking our lives by working here in the lab, but haven’t been paid for four months. We appeal to the State government to recognise our service as frontline workers and pay the pending salaries,” he added. 

KMC Principal Dr S Sandhya admitted that there was a delay in disbursing salaries to outsourced staff. She said a report was being submitted to the concerned department every month for the release of salaries.