BHEL hospital staff in Tiruchy allege non-payment of salary for two months

The situation is claimed to have worsened in May and June with the employees denied the salary amount in entirety.
BHEL (File photo | PTI)
BHEL (File photo | PTI)

TIRUCHY: Nurses, technicians, and other contract medical workers at the Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) Main Hospital here complain of salarya not having been credited to their bank accounts for the past two months. They blame the contractors and the administration for their plight.

BHEL, a Central government undertaking, runs a hospital for its current and retired employees at its campus in Tiruchy. For more than 10 years, medical staff have been appointed here only on contractual basis, sources said.

Over 150 workers, including nurses, attendants, pharmacists, lab assistants, and sanitation workers are employed at the hospital through the means. The contract workers also allege their contractors compelled them to sign blank cheques before crediting salary to their accounts.

This is done to deduct money from the workers to meet their convenience. Failing to do so will result in non-payment, they added. This has affected around 50 nurses, 40 attendants, lab technicians, pharmacists, and other such contract workers.

Further, it is claimed the contractors are changed frequently. "They kept changing them so that those employees eligible to become permanent will remain contract workers. As the contractors change, they too will be considered new staff," said a staffer who has been working at the hospital for around ten years now.

A new contractor had taken charge around the middle of March this year. "We have never seen him, only heard about him," said Kumaran* from the pharmacy department. Prior to May, a certain sum used to be deducted from the employees.

"They deducted around Rs 4,000 in March from each employee and around Rs 6,000 was deducted in the month of April. When asked, they said it was their 'commission'," said Kavin*, also from the pharmacy department.

The situation is claimed to have worsened in May and June with the employees denied the salary amount in entirety.

Magizhan from Thozhilalar Aran (a trade union), said, "Salary is a basic right. BHEL being a huge organisation, the management themselves should look into the matter." When contacted, the chief medical officer of the hospital, Manjula, told The New Indian Express, "I am aware of the issue but I don’t want to comment on it."

(*Names changed)

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