Daijiworld Media Network – Udupi (SP)
Udupi, Jul 29: Karnataka Human Rights Commission, through its final verdict, has ordered the state health department to pay lawfully admissible salary to nurses working in different hospitals of the district. Udupi-based Human Rights Protection Foundation had filed a petition in the commission, relating to injustice faced by these nurses, who drew only a part of the salary legitimately due to them.
This information was given by Raveendranath Shanbhogue of the foundation. He said that as per the records, monthly salary of nurses serving in district hospital and primary health centres since the last 14 years has been fixed at Rs 17,650. However, the health department paid only Rs 4,575 per month to them all these years, he said. To fight this injustice, the foundation had approached the state human rights commission.
File pic: Ravindranath Shanbhag with Suparna Shetty, trustee of HRPF
In October 2000, district health officer had issued temporary appointment letters to 16 nurses. Their basic pay, which initially stood at Rs 3,300 per month, was later upwardly revised to Rs 4,575. In 2007, salary of nurses was raised to Rs 8,825, and again to Rs 17,650 in 2012. But the department continued to disburse Rs 4,575 to them, duly ignoring future revisions.
Although the district deputy commissioner, through an order issued in May 2013, asked the health department to disburse Rs 17,650 per month to these nurses along with arrears, this order was not implemented.
The foundation relied on the ground that the services of all the nurses appointed to hospital across the district after the year 2000 had been made permanent and they get their full salary. These 16 nurses were considered as temporary employees by the health department all these years.
Shanbhogue said that even after a month since the commission issued this order, the health department is yet to disburse arrears of salary to the aggrieved nurses. He said that the foundation will file contempt of court petition against the department if the salary and arrears as per the order are not disbursed within a week from now.
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