Mizoram health workers call off strike after assurances from state government

The National Health Mission Employees Union of Mizoram (NEUM), a union representing over 2,000 contractual employees under the National Health Mission (NHM), on Monday called off its agitation following assurance from the government to meet a section of its demands, a week after the employees began their strike.

After commencing with mass casual leaves for three days between July 11 and July 13, the NHM staff went on an indefinite strike from July 14, demanding regularisation under the state government, regular pay, medical reimbursement and transfer allowances.

The union alleged that the government, at a cabinet meeting for implementation, was not keen on addressing the plights of the employees by tabling the recommendation of a study group, basically constituted last year, to assess their problems and find possibility for regularisation.

The employees were also paid irregularly since 2014 and sometimes salaries were delayed for about three to four months causing inconvenience to the employees, it alleged.

Also Read:Mizoram health workers on indefinite strike over salary, regularisation: Report

The union president Malsawmtluanga Hauhnar said their meeting held late on Sunday night unanimously called off the ongoing agitation with effect from 9 am on Monday following assurances from the state government that it would meet their demands.

He said that the Central Committee of Young Mizo Association (CYMA), which acted as a mediator between the state government and the union on Sunday, met concerned state ministers over their demands.

During the meeting with deputy chief minister Tawnluia, who also holds personnel and administrative reforms portfolio, the CYMA representatives were told that the government will publish the recommendation and findings of the a study group, which was constituted last year to assess the problems of the employees, for implementation at the earliest, he said.

State health minister R. Lalthangliana also assured the CYMA leaders that NHM employees will be paid regularly and that the order banning the holding of the strike by healthcare workers issued under the Mizoram Essential Service Maintenance Act, 1990 (amended in 1995) will be lifted and rectified, as it is basically connected with Covid-19 and not due to the strike, Hauhnar said.

During the meeting, Lalthangliana also informed the CYMA representatives that the government has paid salaries to the employees till May and salaries for June are under process.

The health minister assured the revocation of show notices served to the NHM employees with immediate effect, Hauhnar said.

Earlier on Saturday, the state government served show cause notices to the employees and warned that they could be terminated, jailed and fined for violating the Mizoram Essential Service Maintenance Act, and not honouring the agreement deed they have signed with the government on their recruitment.

The government also issued an order banning strikes by healthcare workers under the Mizoram Essential Service Maintenance Act on July 8.

The union urged the state government to regularise NHM employees, at least in part or phased manner, as many of them have been employed on a contract basis for more than 20 years.

The union had staged a strike in July last year as well, demanding the same benefits, prompting the state government to constitute a study to find solutions to the problems faced by the NHM staff. The study group completed its assessment in April this year.

Principal secretary for health, Esther Lalruatkimi, earlier told reporters that the NHM employees were recruited on a yearly basis as per the contract, and their employment is renewed depending on their performance.

Although there is no provision to regularise the workers, the government constituted a study group to assess the conditions of those contractual employees under the Central Sponsored Scheme (CSS), Central Sector Scheme and Externally Allied Programme or Projects and find the possibility to give better benefit to them, she had said.

State personnel and administrative reforms department secretary Lalramnghaka also told a news conference that that they had requested the agitated healthcare workers several times to understand the situation and complexities as regularisation and providing other benefits is a long process that could not be done in haste.

He said that the study group was basically constituted to frame a policy by examining legal validity, and the pros and cons to regularise the contractual employees under the state government.

However, framing a policy is a long process as certain issues, including the financial impact, existing recruitment rules, constitutional violation and litigation, have to be assessed and taken into account in the process, he claimed.

He also said that the government could not consider and give preference to the NHM staff alone as there are thousands of contractual employees under the centrally-sponsored scheme.