MACS contractual staffs on strike
Around 10,000 PLHIVs on ART to be worst hit
Source: Hueiyen News Service
Imphal, March 21 2012:
Aggrieved over denial of their long standing demands for implementation of due revised pay, due arrears and copy of service extension orders, all the peripheral and contractual staffs of Manipur State Aids Control Society (MACS) have begun an indefinite cease work strike from today.
Addressing media persons in this connection at Manipur Press Club here today, N Subradat, Counselor, ICTC, Kasom Khullen, pointed out that monthly salary of contractual staffs of MACS including peripheral staffs of ICTC, PPTC, ART, RPC, Blood Bank, DAPCU, STI/RTI and Mobile ICTC has remained unchanged and not revised for the last five years since the implementation of NACP III in 2008, and is still at its base line salary structure.
The due arrears which have already been implemented in other states by NACO too have not been paid off still today.
Moreover, the 15 percent annual increment is also yet to be implemented since April 1, 2009 .
As done in other states, the whole amount had already been transferred to MACS by NACO but none of the contractual staffs have been given their rightful wages, Subradat said, adding that even NACO has enquired about the non-payment of the revised pay as is being enjoyed by other states of India.
He called that a memorandum had been submitted in this regard to the Project Director, MACS on March 5, 2012 and accordingly a meeting with the Health Commissioner was convened on the same day.
Following the meeting, the decision to launch cease work strike was relaxed for 15 days considering the problems it would create to the PLHIVs.
But still today, no response from the side of Project Director of MACS has been received and so the staffs have been compelled to go ahead with the cease work strike from today.
The cease work strike would continue until all the demands have been meet, Subradat informed.
He went on to point out that PLHIVs in the state would be facing whole lot of problems in acquiring their ART medicines on account of the cease work strike.
But there is no option left for the contractual staffs.
He also appealed to the CSOs and NGOs working in the field of HIV and AIDS for support to their cause.
Following shut down of all the centres under MACS and ART Centres stopping dispensing monthly ART doses to people who are accessing services, PLHIVs of the state are likely to suffer.
Among them those who are on ART are to be hit the worst.
Speaking to Hueiyen Lanapao, a PLHIV, on condition of anonymity, said "we don't know much about the budget allocation of NACP-III to State AIDS Control Societies and how far the state has the power in reallocating the funds for different components and whether there are any areas of interfering by state government in reallocating the funds of AIDS programme, yet the state government should not be so stiff in providing the salary norms of NACO and arrears of pending years to the contract staffs" .
The PLHIV went on to say, "We PLHIVs are counseled no to skip even one dose of ART drug and maintain adherence of the therapy, but it would not be possible because of the cease work strike.
Because of the 'demands' and 'permissions to be granted' and because of the system in which we live in, the PLHIVs are to be the lone sufferers at the end" .
"Stop playing with our lives and think humanely, we are not guinea pigs and we are not subjects for your experimental purposes", the PLHIV said, while appealing to both the agitators and the state government to bring out a solution at the earliest in the interest of the suffering PLHIVs.
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