Himachal Pradesh News
Statewide ambulance services disrupted for second day in Himachal Pradesh
Ambulance services across Himachal Pradesh remained disrupted for the second consecutive day as members of the 108 and 102 Ambulance Workers Union, affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), continued their 48-hour strike, causing serious inconvenience to patients.
Ambulance services across Himachal Pradesh remained disrupted for the second consecutive day as members of the 108 and 102 Ambulance Workers Union, affiliated with the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), continued their 48-hour strike, causing serious inconvenience to patients.
As part of the protest, 108 ambulance workers staged a demonstration outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office on Saturday, demanding implementation of labour laws, payment of minimum wages and an end to the alleged harassment of employees.
The union warned of intensifying the agitation if their demands were not addressed promptly. These include payment of minimum wages, proper overtime compensation and protection of workers’ rights.
Addressing the protesters, CITU state president Vijender Mehra said that hundreds of pilots, captains and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) working under the Medswan Foundation — which operates the ambulance services under the National Health Mission (NHM) — were facing continued exploitation.
He alleged that workers were not being paid government-notified minimum wages and were being forced to work 12-hour shifts without overtime. This, he said, was happening despite clear directions from the High Court, Labour Court, Chief Judicial Magistrate (CJM) Court Shimla and the Labour Department.
Mehra further claimed that employees who raise issues are subjected to mental harassment, with union leaders allegedly being transferred, forced to resign or kept off duty for months without justification. He also flagged serious irregularities in the implementation of EPF and ESI, alleging that both EPF contributions are being deducted from workers’ wages, resulting in an estimated monthly loss of around ₹2,000 per employee. Additionally, he said the low basic salary component violates established labour norms.
The ongoing strike has significantly affected emergency healthcare services, with patients and their families bearing the brunt of the disruption.
