HYDERABAD: The protest demonstration by contract workers of ESIC super specialty hospital in Sanath Nagar on Thursday took an ugly turn when they partially blocked vehicular traffic on Erragadda crossroads and were taken into preventive custody by police. Close to 25 men and 100 women were picked up by police after they staged a protest against salary delays and wrongful termination of a woman contract staffer.
The protest broke out after a contract house keeper, R Anuradha, also a union leader with Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) attempted suicide by jumping into a well near her home on Wednesday. She was admitted to ESIC hospital and her health is now stable, say hospital staff. Anuradha was terminated from service on July 4 and is the sole bread winner of her family.
The outsourcing agency, Nakshatra outsourcing, hospital officials and the leaders negotiated on Thursday and agreed to revoke her termination. The CITU leaders then expanded their demands which escalated the matter, say police.
Corruption allegations
The protest at the hospital saw housekeeping and technical staff claiming corruption in the recruitment of contract workers. The hospital staff alleged, Nakshatra outsourcing are in nexus with hospital officials at supervisor levels charging anywhere between `70,000 to `1.5 lakh per job.
“Every two months they terminate someone and hire a new person by taking `70,000 to `1.5 lakh as bribe for the job. They give assurance of a permanent job which is false,” said Sujatha (name changed) a house keeper on contract.
The outsourcing agency was unavailable for comment. The agency has provided 100 house keeping staff and close to 400 technical staff for the hospital.Not withstanding corruption allegations, the hospital staff said their salaries too are irregular. “They have not paid our salaries for last two months and when they credit it, it is be just one month’s salary, the other month goes pending,” said Gopika, (name changed) a lab technician with the hospital.