Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government has rejected a demand to exempt health workers working overtime in the fight against the COVID pandemic from salary cuts announced for its employees.
The Finance Ministry has rejected all the claims of health workers in an order that says the government is facing a severe financial crisis and that it cannot go back on salary cuts.
The health workers have now decided to move the Supreme Court against the government.
A petition filed by the Kerala Government Medical Officers' Association (KGMOA) in the High Court against the salary cut has caused the conflict between health workers and the government. The court ruled that the government should take a decision within a month by examining all aspects.
“We will approach the Supreme Court against the government’s decision to include health workers, who work overtime by spending money from their own pocket, in salary cuts. Most states have given incentives to health workers. The Supreme Court has ruled against five state governments for delaying pay to health workers. A salary cut is a more serious issue than delay in salary payment,” said Dr G S Vijayakrishnan, general secretary of KGMOA.
During the examination by the government after the HC order, the association said that during the lockdown, when there was no public transport, health workers had to spend more than Rs 10,000 on private vehicles for travel. In addition, they also spent money on purchase of safety kits for family members and to make provisions for quarantine. Everyone in the health department, right from the level of attenders and above, has been shelling out from his or her own pocket while being involved in the fight against COVID.
The association also produced a Supreme Court verdict cancelling the decision of five states to delay the salaries of health workers.
However, the finance ministry’s secret section order rejected all these arguments. The order states that it is not only the health workers, employees of other departments are also involved in the fight against COVID. Health professionals cannot be given concessions that are not available to the other employees.
During the floods, employees of some departments worked hard and did additional duties, including taking part in relief work, but they were not paid any extra salary or benefit. The Supreme Court ruling does not apply to salary cuts, the ministry said. The demands of the health workers are unfair and are, therefore, being rejected, the order said.
At a high-level meeting, when the COVID expert committee suggested extra pay should be given to health workers, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan had said it would not be possible. He said the extra-pay-for-extra-work argument was wrong. It was after this that the Finance Ministry examined the matter on the directions of the High Court.
Number of employees
Employees from Primary Health Centres to District Hospitals who are under the Directorate of Health - 36,384
Employees of institutions, including medical colleges, under the Department of Medical Education - 14,296 (as per 2019–20 Budget documents)
