Assam: Protest by 108 ambulance workers enters 5th day

 Staff Reporter

GUWAHATI: Assam’s emergency healthcare system continued to reel on Friday as the protest by 108 ambulance workers entered its fifth day, with over 1,000 employees remaining on strike and more than 500 now officially terminated. The agitation has escalated into a major statewide crisis, exposing deep fractures in the state’s emergency response chain.

What began as a call for fair wages and job security intensified dramatically on Thursday night after GVK-EMRI Green Health Services, the operator of the 108 Mrityunjoy service, issued mass termination letters. The letters accused the striking workers of “insubordination” and “disruption of public services”, prompting a fierce backlash at the protest site in Chachal, Guwahati.

Shirtless workers—symbolising their vulnerability and neglect—vowed to continue the strike.

“They’ve stripped us of our jobs, but not our resolve,” said one of the employees.

Around 3,000 contractual staffers operate Assam’s 108 emergency service. Their long-standing demands include regularisation under the state government, overtime pay for 12-hour duty shifts (currently paid for only 8), and wage revisions reflecting inflation and hazardous working conditions.

The workers urged the Assam Government and Health Minister to intervene, warning of stronger agitation if their demands continue to be ignored.

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