BENGALURU: A fact-finding team, which spoke to stakeholders after the removal of 55 ward attendants from Victoria Hospital in May of 2024, has highlighted lapses in the contracts of the workers.
In the recently released report ‘Precarious Labour–Contract Workers of Victoria Hospital’, the team highlighted the abysmal working conditions of workers across different designations and roles, violation of the labour code, low and irregular payment of wages, understaffing of hospital and unsafe working conditions.
“The contract system is illegitimate as workers continuously worked at the hospital for many years. The contractor has no real control and seems to be an external agency brought in to deny workers their benefits. This practice violates the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947,” reads the 25-page report. None of the contract workers were issued appointment letters which gives leeway to authorities to modify responsibilities and terms of employment.
The fact-finding team was constituted after the workers went on a protest in early May. It consisted of representatives from various civil society organisations including the All India Lawyers Association for Justice (AILAJ), People’s Union for Civil Liberties (PUCL), Naveddu Niladdidre, Tamte and two independent researchers.
The report also emphasised that existing workers were overburdened with long hours and not paid for overtime. Workers on the night shift were deprived of night allowance, which is the usual practice in any organisation. “Due to extremely high work pressure, workers did not have a fixed lunch hour and get as little as 10 minutes to complete their meal,” stated the report. Speaking to workers, the team also highlighted that there is no leave policy and workers are not entitled to paid, casual or sick leave.
The team has submitted the report to the labour and medical education department. “Hiring contract workers in public health institutions like government hospitals must be stopped. Instead, health workers, including non-medical staff, must be hired directly and be paid through the ‘Direct Pay System’ similar to pourakarmikas,” the team suggested.
Other recommendations included setting up a grievance redressal mechanism with management and union representation and releasing funds to ensure proper staffing. The team also suggested forming a multi-stakeholder audit group that includes members from civil society, trade unions and government to conduct a thorough audit into the working conditions of all government hospitals across the state.