Delhi: AIIMS Non-Medical Associations and Unions to Go on Strike

All the non-medical associations and unions of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) have decided to go on strike in September over their long-pending demands regarding the discrepancies in the Sixth Pay Commission, and the implementation of a cadre review by the AIIMS administration "which has not been done for last 30 years".

Also Read: Delhi: Demanding redressal of issues, AIIMS nurses threaten indefinite strike from December 16

This came after the members of Karamchari Union, Nurses Union & Officers Association held a meeting with the Director (AIIMS), Addl. Secretary, MoHFW, Joint Secretary of MoHFW & other senior Officers of AIIMS, New Delhi at 11.00 am in the Ramalingaswamy Board Room on 21st August. However, the authorities failed to consider the demands of the associations and the Union members left the meeting disappointed.

The stand of the Health Ministry and the AIIMS administration was not positive during the conversation. Therefore, the office-bearers of all the associations and unions have decided to leave the talks in the middle and go on strike, informed one of the members.

The Officers Association of AIIMS has submitted a memorandum to the AIIMS administration with their demands, saying cadre review has not been done since 1992 and the Health Ministry and AIIMS should consider the matter seriously.

The President of the Officers Association of AIIMS, Ajeet Singh, said that they have written many times to the Health Ministry in the past, but got no response, reports IANS.

"Now the Health Minister has also changed, but our demands are still unanswered. We are requesting the AIIMS administration to undertake a cadre review which has not been done for last 30 years. Once the cadre is reviewed, the employees of Officers Association AIIMS can be promoted, but no consideration has been given so far," he added.

The association's other demands include the review of AIIMS's contribution in the national pension scheme. Ajeet Singh claimed that other government offices contribute 14 per cent in the NPS, but AIIMS offers only 10 per cent.

He also said that Delhi's AIIMS, Chandigarh AIIMS, and PGI Puducherry Hospital fall under the same category, but all are being given different pay scales. "A coordination committee was constituted in 2012 at Deputy Director level with Delhi AIIMS, Chandigarh AIIMS, and PGI Puducherry to solve such issues but all has gone in vain and nothing has been achieved," he said.

If the AIIMS administration will not respond to our demands, we will go on strike by the end of this month, he warned.

Mr. Harish Kajla, the President of AIIMS Nurse Union, told, "The authorities have failed to meet the common demands and separate demands of all Unions/Association. Ministry & administration were giving false assurance and they are not ready to take a concrete decision. So KU/NU/OA left the meeting in the middle and conveyed a strong message of a combined strike soon to all present authorities in the meeting with a deadline by the end of August 2021."

The meeting was attended by Ramesh Sharma, General Secretary of the Officers Association, Satprakash Kalia, President of the Employees Union, Harish Kajla, President of the Nursing Association, and many staff leaders.