The outsourced employees in Telangana Aarogyasri Healthcare Trust have served notice on the State Government to go on strike from July 24, if their demands including job security, increase in salaries and accidental insurance coverage are not met by then.
A total of 1,450 outsourced employees are working with the Aarogyasri Trust in different capacities as Aarogya Mitras at PHC level, at network hospitals level, team leaders, office executives, data entry operators and district managers.
A delegation of the employees under the aegis of Telangana Aarogyasri Outsourcing Employees Association gave notices separately to the Chief Executive Officer of the Trust and the Chief Secretary to the State Government on Friday. The strike notice included a charter of 12 demands with job security being their main demand.
They want recruitment of Aarogya Mitras at PHC and network hospitals level, divisional team leaders and data entry operators, instead of taking them in outsourced system. Their other demands include implementation of Minimum Wages Act, 1948 from 2007 when the Trust was set up to all the employees, payment of travelling allowance dues from November 2011 and increasing salaries of Aarogya Mitras at PHC/network hospitals level, office executive/data entry operators, team leaders and district managers along with provision of travelling allowance/bus pass facility.
Further, they demanded implementation of list of holidays on par with government employees, maternity leave with pay, accidental insurance coverage, increments and promotions.
President of the association P. Chandrasekhar and general secretary P. Hari Prasad stated that they had taken their problems to the notice of CEO, Chief Secretary and the Health Minister several times, but in vain. They are working since 2007 for paltry salaries of Rs. 5,900 per month to Aarogya Mitras at PHC level, Rs. 7,200 per month to Aargoya Mitras at network hospital level and Rs. 9,940 per month to team leaders, the functionaries of the association explained.
