More than 200 contract sanitary workers at the ESI Hospital in Coimbatore staged a work boycott on Tuesday, voicing strong opposition to what they described as persistent irregularities by the contract company. The protest erupted after approximately 10 suspended workers from the Coimbatore Medical College and Hospital (CMCH) were redeployed to the ESI Hospital on the same day.
Demand for Redeployment of Existing Workers
The sanitary workers condemned this move, insisting that the contract company should only reemploy those who were originally removed from the ESI Hospital, not workers from other institutions. Prabhakaran, a representative of the sanitary workers association, stated, 'If people from other places are deployed here, workers who have been serving here will lose their job opportunities. Our colleagues were suspended merely for raising concerns about the contract company's irregularities. We demand that they be redeployed, and no outsiders should be brought in.'
Key Grievances: PF Dues and Staff Shortages
Apart from the redeployment issue, the workers demanded the immediate and proper disbursement of Provident Fund (PF) contributions, along with measures to address acute staff shortages that have significantly increased their workload. They accused the contract company of recurrent irregularities in wage payments. Prabhakaran highlighted that PF deductions had not been communicated to the workers for the past six months. 'Workers do not receive any confirmation message regarding PF deductions, even though the amounts are deducted from their salaries. We demand full transparency in wage-related matters,' he added.
Resolution After Negotiations
Following a series of negotiations involving the hospital management and representatives of the contract company, the workers agreed to resume their duties by late morning. The protest underscored ongoing tensions between contract workers and management over labor rights and transparency.
