NHM employees mull cease work strike
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, August 30 2017:
Employees working in the State under the Government of India's National Health Mission (NHM) have threatened to launch different modes of agitation including cease work strike .
The All Manipur NHM Employees' Welfare Association held a meeting at Ima Khunthokhanbi Shanglen, Thangmeiband and discussed about the demand for their service regularisation .
Notably, NHM employees are currently working as contractual staff .
Speaking to media persons about their meeting, All Manipur NHM Employees' Welfare Association general secretary Khangenbam Jodha said that NHM earlier known as National Rural Health Mission (NRHM) was launched in the State in 2005 .
Once NHM was launched in the State, the State's health sector saw considerable improvement .
Manipur won awards twice in 2013-14 and 2014-15 for being the State with lowest Infant Mortality Rate (IMR), and NHM has a big role in achieving such distinction, Jodha claimed .
Pointing out that NHM staff have been already regularised in other States, he lamented that the State Government has not yet considered about regularising the NHM staff even though Rashtriya Madhyamik Siksha Abhiyan (RMSA) staff and DRDA staff have been regularised .
There are more than 2000 staff under NHM in Manipur but there are many pay anomalies and there is no seniority list .
An employee who has been working for years gets the same salary given to a newly recruited employee.
Moreover, monthly salaries are given after a gap of three/four months .
Even though a memorandum has been submitted to the Chief Minister, there has been no response till date .
If the State Government still refuses to pay any heed to the grievances of NHM staff, the association is ready to launch different forms of agitation including pen-down strike, protest rally, sit-in-protest, cease work strike etc, Jodha said.