The Mizoram government on Sunday prohibited staging of strikes or agitation by employees under the state health department during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The prohibitory order came at a time when contractual employees and staff of the National Health Mission are staging an indefinite strike demanding regularisation and regular pay.
The order issued by the health department on Sunday said that no employees under the health and family welfare department should organize strike during the pandemic as defined in the Mizoram Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1990.
The order said that COVID-19 is still prevalent in the state causing physical and mental health of persons and loss of precious lives.
In the wake of the Omicron variant of COVID-19, there is an urgent need to keep a close vigil on the incidence of local and regional spread of the pandemic and any strike if organise by any section or category of employees under the health department would adversely affect health care service delivery, not only for the COVID-19 related cases but also for any other illness a person could already have or might contract, which could render him or her more susceptible to COVID-19, the order said.
The prohibitory order came into effect for six months from 7 pm on Sunday.
Meanwhile, demanding regularisation and regular pay, hundred of contractual employees and staff of National Health Mission have been staging an indefinite strike by ceasing their work since December 17.
The employees have been demanding that they should be employed as regular employees under the state health department.
They also alleged that they were paid irregularly.
However, an official said that the National Health Mission staff have been paid till November.