TN this Week: Ambulance Drivers, Nurses, ASHAs Seek Better Working Conditions

Chennai: All political parties in the state are busy with the upcoming rural local body polls for the newly carved out nine districts in Tamil Nadu, which will be held on October 6 and 9.

The State Election Commission announced that a total of 97,831 nominations were received for the posts of Village Panchayat Ward member, Village Panchayat President, Village Union Ward member and District Panchayat Ward member.

Meanwhile, many health sector workers raised their respective issues and held protests this week. The ad-hoc medical recruitment board (MRB) nurses held a large protest demanding regularisation of work, and the police was seen “manhandling” the protestors.

Village health nurses (VHN) also held a large protest opposing the overload of work in the pandemic. ASHA workers are demanding that the government include them in the state government’s doorstep healthcare scheme. Ambulance workers, too, alleged mistreatment and said if this continues they have no other option but to resort to a state-wide strike.

COVID-19: DAILY CASES RELATIVELY STEADY

Tamil Nadu logged 1,612 fresh cases of COVID-19 and 28 deaths on September 30. The daily fresh infections did not see any drastic upward or downward movement in the past few weeks.

Image credit: Prakash R

After 1.5 years, physical classes for students from I to VIII will restart in Tamil Nadu from November 1. In-person classes have already commenced for classes IX and above, and also for college students since September 1.

In the third mega COVID-19 vaccination camp held on September 26, the state used 9.85 lakh more doses than it had targeted and delivered over 24 lakh doses.

STRIKE WARNING BY 108 AMBULANCE WORKERS

Allegations of corruption and mistreatment of workers have piled up against the GVK EMRI management, the private company that runs ambulance services for the Tamil Nadu government. Ambulance drivers and other workers have been complaining about random termination of workers and reduction in salary.

“Corruption in the company has led to purchasing poor ambulance vehicles, which also led to an accident. Union leaders who spoke up against illegal activities of the company were immediately fired from work” said Samuel of the Central Organisation of Indian Trade Unions (COITU).

He added “the management prides itself of not functioning for profit, but their activities prove otherwise... Many ambulance drivers have been illegally removed from work. It is important to have experienced workers in this field, but the administration thinks that retaining old workers means providing benefits like salary increment, thereby it regularly fires workers”.

The employees recently gave a protest call, but withdrew it in view of talks with the management. The workers are demanding some form of job guarantee, minimum salary and non-corrupt management.

ASHAS WANT MORE RECOGNITION

ASHA workers protest in front of the Dindigul Collector office. Image courtesy: CITU, Tamil Nadu

On September 28, accredited social health activists (ASHA) approached the District Collector’s office in Dindigul with their demands. Their immediate demand was that Tamil Nadu government’s ‘Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam’ programme should incorporate ASHAs to take healthcare to every doorstep.

ASHAs work round the clock, but are paid a pittance of Rs 2,050 per month. On the other side, volunteers of the Makkalai Thedi Maruthuvam scheme are allotted Rs 3,000 per month. ASHA workers want to be a part of the scheme, as they are already taking healthcare to interior households.

“They are already working in tribal areas, going to villages where there are no bus facilities and working in the interiors among children who do not have access to anganwadis, so they should be given the task of taking healthcare to doorsteps” said Ganesan, CITU Dindigul district secretary.

He said “Tamil Nadu is a state that pays really poorly for the ASHAs, Haryana pays Rs 10,000, Kerala and Andhra Pradesh pays Rs 9,000. This must change”.

In September, ASHA union leaders and CITU state leader A Soundararajan met the health minister and submitted a memorandum of demands. Regularising their work along with promotion as village health nurse after 10 years as ASHA and minimum salary of Rs 18,000 are some of their demands.

REGULARISE MRB NURSES

More than 3,400 nurses, appointed based on the exams held by the medical recruitment board (MRB) on an ad-hoc basis, held a sit-in protest till midnight of September 28 in the directorate of public health (DPH) campus, demanding consolidated wages and regularisation of jobs.

The protesting nurses accused the police of manhandling them while removing them from the protest site. After the government agreed to hold talks with the association on October 4, the protest was withdrawn temporarily. Read more

‘FILL VACANCIES, DON’T EXPLOIT’ - VHN

The village health nurses held protests across the state demanding regularised working hours and filling up of existing vacancies. The association of the nurses alleged that they are overworked as they clock in 12-14 hours a day without any weekly and public holidays. The involvement in vaccination drives has increased their working hours, and their regular work of caring for women and children in the rural and tribal areas has been adversely affected. Read more

TRIBAL SETTLEMENT DISMANTLED

An Irular tribal settlement of 11 houses in Peranamallur area of Vandavasi in Thiruvannamalai district was dismantled by the government a few weeks ago claiming that the land is required for some other purpose. The tribal people who went on protest opposing this move on October 1, alleged that they were brutally attacked by the police.

The issue of Irular settlements being dismantled upon the promise of concrete housing, with no alternate shelter in site is a persistent issue in the region.