Patiala, August 17: Outsourced employees from various health institutions and Mata Kaushalya Hospital—affiliated with the Class IV Government Employees Union Punjab (1680)—initiated a cease-work strike to press for several demands. These include the implementation of minimum wage norms and the updating of their details on the SRMS portal (a system linked to the abolition of the contract labor system). Class IV employees from various other departments also joined the strike. Emergency services at the hospital remained operational throughout the protest. A rally was held at the hospital gate. During the rally, officials—including the Medical Superintendent, Civil Surgeon, District Health Commissioner (Health Systems Corporation), and others—invited the employees for a dialogue.
Union leader Darshan Singh Lubana stated that although the government has issued a notification to abolish the contract labor system, no concrete progress has been made so far. During the discussions with the Civil Surgeon, Medical Superintendent, DMC, and other officials, it was decided to form a committee tasked with re-collecting the necessary data. This process is to be completed within three weeks, and union leaders will also be part of the committee.
Following the talks, the cease-work strike concluded with a rally. Ram Lal Rama, Shiv Charan, Deep Chand Hans, Ram Prasad Sahota, Dharminder, Ajay Kumar, Rajesh Kumar, Meenu, Tarsem Samana, Sunita, Kamlesh Goni, and others were present on the occasion.