Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru
Bengaluru, Feb 27: Health services across Karnataka have been severely affected as over 9,000 contract nurses and paramedical staff employed by the state government launched an indefinite strike.
The protest, led by the Karnataka State Contract Paramedical Employees Welfare Association, began on Wednesday at Bengaluru’s Freedom Park and entered its second day on Thursday, February 27. Demonstrators from across the state are demanding better pay and job regularisation.
Holding placards with slogans such as "Equal pay for equal work" and "We want justice," the protestors, mostly women, spent the night at the venue despite the Mahashivratri festival.
The strike has particularly impacted rural areas and smaller towns, where contract staff play a crucial role in healthcare services.
Protestors say they have been serving for over 15 years but continue to receive a meagre Rs 14,000 monthly salary. They are demanding salary revisions, inter-district transfers, and confirmation of their services as permanent government employees.
The state BJP has extended its support to the agitation. Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council Chalavadi Narayanaswamy and BJP MP from Bengaluru Rural C N Manjunath met the protestors on Wednesday, assuring them that their demands would be raised in the Assembly.
Narayanaswamy said he would discuss the matter with chief minister Siddaramaiah and the health minister. Manjunath reaffirmed BJP’s backing, stating that nurses and paramedics are vital to the healthcare system and deserve fair treatment.
The Congress-led state government has yet to respond to the protestors' demands.