Health emergency services To Be Hit Hard By Strike of GVK-EMRI Workers Union

Staff Correspondent

Shillong: The State emergency health services are expected to be hit hard by the strike of the Meghalaya GVK-EMRI Workers Union from Monday. The 205-odd field workers (drivers and other trained respondents) drove their ambulances from their respective bases to the headquarter in Lawmali, Shillong. They wanted to surrender the keys of the ambulances and other medical gadgets to the management for its alleged breach of the status quo agreement that was brokered by the State Government in July, 2019.

As hordes of the emergency workers descended at the office headquarters, each one of them spoke about their poor service conditions and the ambulances that lack maintenance in every sphere. “The State Government intervention during the tripartite meeting spoke about our enhanced salary package, the shortage of manpower, the admission for leave, the rampant transfer and good motorable condition of the ambulances”, stated president of Meghalaya GVK-EMRI Workers Union R Kharraswai. But the management has not adhered to the agreement, he said.

“In spite of the agreement, the management sent show cause notices to our colleagues and issued transferred orders”, Kharraswai added. He acknowledged that the villages will be hit by the decision that they have taken today, yet agreed to provided the same services if the management and the government take serious cognizance of their demands.

Forty three-odd 108 ambulances from all over the State have already reached the GVK-EMRI headquarters in Shillong till late this evening. Going by the services provided by these free of cost ambulances, the emergency medical services is expected to run out of steam.

The Sentinel could not reach the Meghalaya Secretary of Health over phone till filing of this report.