MACS employees on hunger strike
Source: The Sangai Express
Imphal, February 07 2014 :
Persisting with their various demands, including service regularisation, Manipur AIDS Control Society (MACS) employees today resorted to relay hunger strike on the eighth day of their
ceasework agitation.
Since january 30 the MACS employees under the banner of Manipur AIDS Control Society Employees' Association (MACSEA) have been abstaining from work while on February 3 a protest rally was taken out followed by submission of a memorandum containing seven charters of demand to the Chief Minister, pointed out senior counsellor Phillip Laishram during an interaction with media persons at the protest venue in R&D Wing block of the Medical Directorate, Lamphelpat.
Regretting that the Chief Minister did not spare even a minute to hear the employees' grievances, Phillip opined that the indifferent attitude of the CM demonstrates that the Government of Manipur is not serious in combating HIV/AIDS problem besieging the State.
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Speaking at the occasion, MACS Joint Director Abhiram Mongjam said the Government that along with striving for settle the MACS stalemate at the earliest needs to chalk up effective policy/programme and strategies to save the future generation of Manipur from falling prey to HIV/AIDS.
Even though the demands put up by the striking employees is beyond the Government of Manipur's prerogative State authorities can still intimate the Central Government to do the needful by reminding them on the need to sustain the campaign against HIV/AIDS in the State, suggested MACSEA member Manitombi Keisham, who joined the relay hunger strike.
maintaining that workloads of MACS employees are comparatively more than that of other Government departments, he said the demand for service regularisation, among others, is justifiable.
Other hunger strikers pointed out that if the ongoing ceasework strike is not resolved at the earliest those in need of regular medication would suffer the most.