108 emergency service to resume in Meghalaya

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 29, 2019

SHILLONG: The 108 ambulance service is all set to resume in the state after the ongoing stalemate between the management and workers of the GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (GVK-EMRI) was finally resolved following intervention by the state government.

Over 200 agitating field staffs have agreed to resume work after the management of the GVK EMRI have assured to address their eight-point of demands in a tripartite meeting convened by the health minister AL Hek at the main secretariat here on Friday.

The state government has also decided to withdraw the pre-termination notice issued earlier to the GVK EMRI.

Emergency services across the eleven districts were stopped due to the indefinite strike called by the employees under the banner of the Meghalaya EMRI Workers’ Union (MEMRIWU) from September 29 to November 11.

Earlier, the union had sought fulfillment of 36-point of demands which include 100 percent hike in salary and increasing the number of ambulances but later decided to reduce the same to only eight points.

After the meeting, health minister AL Hek told reporters that the problems between the employees and the management have been amicably resolved.

“The workers have agreed to resume work and the management has taken a call to re-start the emergency service in Meghalaya,” Hek said.

State head of the GVK EMRI, Deepankar Choudhury informed that all the issues raised by the field employees were addressed and the emergency service will resume with immediate effect but it will be in a phase manner.

He said this is because the ambulances needs to go for repairing and maintenance since they have been down for the last two months.

“After the government has taken custody of the vehicles in DHS complex they had asked us to do a quality audit which we had already completed. We have 34 ambulances here out of which 24 ambulances have been taken care of,” Choudhury said. He added our priority is to try and get all 43 ambulances up in the next two-three days.

Concerning the demand for new ambulances, the state head however said it is for the state government to take a call on this regard on whether they want to increase the number of ambulances.

On the status of the pre-termination notice, Choudhury said, “It will expire tomorrow but with the resolution taken today it (notice) has become null and void as it has been withdrawn by the state government. Therefore, the emergency service in the state has finally been restored.”

Informing that the management has agreed to provide 10 per cent hike in basic salary and another 10 per cent for overall increment, he however said there will be a salary cut for the two months which service could not be provided and this is as per the service level agreement.

“We have expressed the same to the health minister and the employees have also appealed that if some relief can be given for this period, because the company policy is very clear no work no pay. The minister has assured that he will take a call and will come to a compromise formula where either the organisation or the employees don’t suffer,” he said.

The management has also agreed to ensure regional/home transfer as far as possible depending on the availability of manpower while appealing to the employees to effectively use the grievance redressal cell if they have any grievances to avoid such incident of misunderstanding in the future.

Asked, the state head of the GVK EMRI said that the state government has clearly expressed its inability to take over the emergency services and the demand no longer remains.

On the other hand, president of the union Roypar Kharraswai said the employees have welcome the decision of the management to give 30 percent hike which include 10 percent each for basic pay, increment and shift allowances (for working overtime) citing “something is better than nothing”.

“However, from the state government side it is not giving anything as the assurance today has come only from the management and we feel that it should consider finding ways and means to balance with our demand,” he said.

When asked, Kharraswai however maintained that the union will continue to demand that the state government should take over the emergency service.

“Our demand will continue as the contract signed with the GVK EMRI will end by March 2021 and we hope that the state government by that time will have ways and means to fulfill our demand and take over the emergency service,” he said.

Meanwhile, general secretary of the union Susan Lyngdoh expressed her gratitude to all the NGOs who have supported the union during the agitations. “After today’s meeting, most of the issues were resolved but this is not the end, if these kind of problems arise in the future we will step up as a union,” she said.