Contract nurses, doctors, laboratory technicians and other healthcare workers employed in Chennai Corporation-run primary health centres staged a protest at the Ripon Building on Thursday, alleging unfair salary deductions, non-implementation of promised pay hikes, and problems arising from a newly introduced attendance-tracking mobile application.
The protesters gathered at the Chennai Corporation headquarters and laid siege to the Ripon Building campus, accusing authorities of failing to provide proper wages to contract healthcare workers.
According to the protesters, a recently introduced attendance application has resulted in severe salary cuts for contract employees. They alleged that the app frequently becomes inaccessible or fails to function properly, causing difficulties in recording attendance.
Healthcare workers further claimed that even a delay of a few minutes in marking attendance leads to half-day salary deductions. Some protesters alleged that despite working throughout the month, they receive wages equivalent to only around 10 days of work.
Contract employees working in Corporation primary health centres currently receive salaries ranging from ₹18,000 to ₹19,800 per month. However, the protesters alleged that deductions of up to ₹14,000 have been made from their salaries on the grounds of delayed attendance.
The protesters also questioned why the attendance rules are being enforced only on contract employees. They alleged that permanent nurses are not subjected to the same attendance-app-based monitoring and salary deduction system and continue to receive their full salaries.
Demanding the withdrawal of the newly introduced attendance application, the protesters called for the restoration of the previous attendance register system. They argued that technical issues with the app were unfairly affecting their earnings and livelihoods.
The healthcare workers also alleged that a ₹3,000 salary increase promised by the government from May has not yet been implemented. In addition, they claimed that assurances of a 30 per cent salary hike made during protests held under the previous administration have not materialised.
The protesters said the salary deductions and attendance-related issues have severely affected their financial condition and family lives. Insisting that the attendance app be scrapped or substantially modified, contract nurses, doctors, laboratory technicians and other healthcare workers continued their protest at the Ripon Building campus, demanding immediate intervention from the authorities.
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