GVK-EMRI
Representative image. Photo Source - silcharonline.in

The 108 and 102 employees have decided to resume their services from Saturday after state Health & Family Welfare Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma assured that their demands would be fulfilled.

Minister Sarma in a meeting with the representatives of 108 and 102 employees on Friday assured that the salary of the employees would be released regularly and also increment would be made.

The meeting was mediated by Rituparna Barua, MLA from Lahowal constituency.  The Health Minister also assured that the salaries of the emergency health services employees of Assam will be at per with the Gujarat employees.

Sarma also assured that there would be no cut of their salaries during the period of the protests. The emergency services will be conducted with new guidelines from October 1, 2018.

Employees of GVK-EMRI, who had been on an indefinite strike since September 5 last, suspended their agitation on Tuesday till September 21 next following an appeal by the Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal and Health Minister Sarma.

Earlier, the All Assam 108 Mrityunjoy Employees Association alleged that the Hyderabad-based GVK-EMRI has been flouting norms to make “maximum profit”.

It alleged the company has been giving false assurances and threatens to dismiss the employees on the slightest pretext. It also questioned the role of the Assam Government as “instead of looking into the employees’ allegations and demands”, it slapped the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) on the service and robbed them of the right to protest against “injustice”.

The association earlier said GVK-EMRI had not got the service rules certified by the Labour Department. It said after it brought the discrepancy to light, the department recently certified the service rules under the Industrial Employment (Standing Orders) Act, 1946. But the new service rules are yet to come into effect even after eight months, it said.