Ambulance workers’ strike brings emergency services to a standstill
Ambulance workers under the Himachal Pradesh 108 and 102 Ambulance Employees’ Union, affiliated to Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU), held a protest rally in Chamba on Wednesday as part of their ongoing agitation against poor working conditions and lack of fair compensation.
The protest follows a breakdown in talks with the National Health Mission (NHM), prompting the union to declare a 24-hour strike starting 8 PM Tuesday. Emergency medical services across the state came to a standstill as workers, drivers and emergency medical technicians (EMTs), abstaining from work. During the protest at Chamba, employees voiced their frustration over continued exploitation under Medswan Foundation, the agency currently operating the service.
Addressing the protesters, CITU district secretary Sudesh Thakur said ambulance personnel working under Medswan Foundation — the agency managing operations under NHM — face chronic exploitation. Employees, she said, are routinely assigned 12-hour shifts without receiving overtime pay and are not even compensated with the government-mandated minimum wages. In addition, key statutory benefits such as Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) and Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) are either mishandled or not implemented properly.
The CITU leader also pointed to repeated violations of orders issued by the Himachal Pradesh High Court, the Labour Court, the CJM Court in Shimla and the state Labour Office. Protesters alleged that workers who attempt to raise these issues through the union face retaliation in the form of transfers, mental harassment, or forced resignations. Many employees, they claimed, have been suspended from duty without explanation and are routinely denied their entitled leaves.
At the heart of the protest are several demands, including the implementation of minimum wage laws, fair compensation for overtime work, the provision of regular leave, and the assurance of full salaries even when ambulances are under maintenance or insurance processing.
The workers have also called for the protection of union leaders from targeted harassment, correction of discrepancies in EPF and ESI contributions, and the restoration of job continuity for those who had earlier worked under the previous operator, GVK-EMRI. They also seek payment of pending legal dues, such as gratuity and layoff compensation, from the previous employer. The union has made it clear that if their grievances are not resolved promptly, they will intensify the agitation. Leaders have placed the responsibility for any resulting disruption in emergency medical services squarely on the shoulders of the government, NHM, and the Medswan Foundation. The situation has brought renewed attention to the plight of outsourced healthcare workers and the lack of enforcement of labour rights in the state’s emergency health services.
Strike over harassment, wage violations
Shimla: Amid a statewide one-day strike, ambulance workers affiliated with the 108 and 102 Ambulance Employees Union under the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) staged a protest outside the Deputy Commissioner’s office in Shimla. The workers demanded the implementation of minimum wage laws, adherence to judicial directives, and an end to workplace harassment.
The strike led to a complete shutdown of 108 and 102 ambulance services across Himachal Pradesh, as no drivers or Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) reported for duty. Protests were simultaneously organized at all district headquarters, the office of the National Health Mission (NHM) Managing Director in Shimla, and the Medswan Foundation headquarters in Dharampur, Solan.
Himachal Tribune