Following an assurance by Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Health Commissioner Randeep D. that their demand for doing away with zonal classification for payment of wages would be discussed after the process of the Lok Sabha election is completed, the employees of the 108 Arogya Kavacha emergency service have put off their plan to protest till then.
Upset over the delay in payment of salaries and roll back of 45% increment sanctioned during the previous government’s tenure, the employees had threatened to strike work from Tuesday. Around 715 ambulances and approximately 3,500 employees across Karnataka are associated with the 108 ambulance associations’ service.
Chandranna, general secretary of the Karnataka State 108 Arogya Kavacha Employees’ Association, said the employees have decided to put off their plan to protest following the assurance. “We understand that the government cannot take any decisions now when the Model Code of Conduct (MCC) is in place,” he said.
The Commissioner, who met the employees on Tuesday to discuss their issues, explained to them that the excess amount paid to them had to be recovered. The required funds for payment of their wages have been released to the service provider GVK-EMRI. “We have also asked all the District Health Officers (DHOs) to identify drivers who can fill in as reserve drivers for the 108 fleet in case regular drivers strike work or become uncooperative,” he said.
