Protesting Vokkaligara Sangha employees donate blood

The protesting employees of the Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha intensified their agitation by symbolically donating blood on Tuesday to cancer patients at the Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology.

Nearly a thousand members of the Vokkaligara Sangha Employees Association have been protesting for over a week demanding better pay and changes in administration. They want the sixth pay commission to be implemented.

Despite their letter to administrative officer Ashokananda on September 25 over implementing the sixth pay commission and appointments, none from the administration contacted them so far.

The association’s member R Rangaraju, said the agitation did not affect hospital services. He claimed that 95% doctors are given NPA (Non-Practicing Allowance) amounting to Rs 3 crore that was misused. This affected hospital employees, he said.

Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha President D S Betta Gowda said: “The protest is unacceptable. The government has appointed the administrator to the Sangha. We can’t interfere until the next person is appointed.”

He added that implementing the sixth pay commission would cost an additional Rs 25 crore to the Sangha. “There’s no source income to muster the amount. It’s not possible to consider their demand. Only 4 employees are instigating others. Many say they are protesting unwillingly.”