VELLORE: Workers attached to the 108 ambulance services staged a demonstration opposite the collectorate demanding various benefits from the service company. The agitation was led by the district president of the Vellore unit of the Tamilnadu 108 ambulance workers ‘union, Kriba. The agitators raised slogans demanding that working hours be restricted to eight-hour days. They also wanted the company to re-employ 112 workers who were removed from work and asked for enhanced security and privacy for women workers.
The agitators said while the workers have been extending almost round the clock services to handle emergency cases, they were not getting adequate pay. Vellore district has around 42 vehicles managed by 240 workers. For the past two years, “we have represented our grievances to our employer but in vain. In a bid to present the genuine problems of the workers, the union has launched a series of agitations across the state. If our woes are not addressed, we will be forced to strike work,” they said.