BENGALURU: Health Minister UT Khader has urged the public to explore alternatives to the 108 ambulance service for the next two months, saying the government plans to improve the ambulance system, amid the call for a statewide work stoppage by employees from the 10 pm shift today (October 14).
The employees have threatened to abstain from duty across Karnataka from Wednesday night and stage an indefinite protest at Freedom Park from October 15 if their demands are not met. The proposed protest arrangements are still being discussed.
Khader said the government would not succumb to pressure from either the service provider or its employees. He clarified that the ambulance staff were employed by GVK EMRI and were not government employees. Warning the operator of accountability for any disruption, he said, “If anything goes wrong or patients are affected, we will take action against GVK EMRI.”
The Suvarna Karnataka Ambulance Employees’ Association has said its demands have remained unresolved despite several meetings with the management and government representatives. The employees have sought annual increments as stipulated in their appointment letters, a uniform salary structure instead of zone-wise wages, and salary fixation based on seniority.