108 workers call off strike, demands govt to terminate GVK EMRI

Syllad | The Rising MeghalayaNovember 11, 2019

SHILLONG: After 14 days, the Meghalaya Emergency Management and Research Institute Workers’ Union (MEMRIWU) has called off its indefinite hunger strike on Monday and demanded the state government to immediately terminate the services of the GVK EMRI in the state.

The decision was announced after a joint delegation of the MEMRIWU, Khasi Students’ Union (KSU) and Federation of Khasi Jaintia and Garo People (FKJGP) met the health minister AL Hek along with officials of the department here.

“We have strongly demanded before the minister that the state government should immediately terminate the GVK EMRI. He (Hek) has assured the delegation that the government is ready to take action on this regard,” president of the MEMRIWU Roypar Kharraswai told reporters.

He also informed that the indefinite hunger strike has been called off from today but the union has decided to adopt other strategies to further intensify their agitation.

He said the health minister has expressed that it is not possible for the government to take over the emergency services and that it would float a new tender to pave way for other companies to come in.

Kharraswai however lamented on the state government’s failure to give assurance that all the 205 field staffs will be recruited by the new company.

“We feel that the state government cannot reject us in this manner, which is not acceptable as we have given the best services to the people of the state in the last 11 years,” he said.

The president added, “While on one hand the government is ready to terminate the GVK EMRI but is shying away from providing us job security.”

Asked, he said that the union will discuss on the outcome of today’s meeting to take decision on their future course of action.

“However, we will insist that the government should ensure that experience staff be given first preference by the new company as this would also reduce the expenditure on the government,” he said.

The GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute (GVK EMRI) has maintained that it is not possible to give 100 per cent salary enhancement to the employees with an average of 3.7 percent yearly escalation during a meeting convened by the health minister on October 4.

This was one of the eight demands put forth by the MEMRIWU.

Earlier after meeting the management of the GVK EMRI today, leaders of the FKJGP and KSU have also strongly demanded the state government to terminate the agreement with the company without any further delay.

“We have met the management and we understand that this agitation by the staff is reaching nowhere because the management is not willing to listen despite the fact that their demands are quite genuine,” FKJGP leader Eldie Lyngdoh said.

He said the KSU and FKJGP have decided to demand the government to immediately terminate the GVK EMRI and to bring in other agencies who are capable to run the emergency services in the state.

On asked, Lyngdoh said that the two NGOs would also submit their suggestions to the government to ensure that all the employees of the GVK EMRI are given jobs.

The KSU leader on the other hand asked the state government to put the interest of the local people first before signing agreement with any company in the state.