Outsourced employees of Nimhans protest lay-offs

Nineteen hospital assistants were refused employment by National Institute of Mental Health and Neuro Sciences (Nimhans) on July 9 this year, said the Nimhans Pragatipara Workers Union (NPWU), affiliated to the All India Central Council of Trade Unions (AICCTU), in a press release issued here on Wednesday.

The workers were seen protesting on the hospital campus on Wednesday. But Nimhans has distanced itself from the issue, saying the problem is between an outsourcing agency and the workers, and that they’re not employees of Nimhans. Of these 19 workers, 15 are women.

“When the state government had imposed a night curfew prohibiting travel after 9 pm, Nimhans unilaterally changed the timings of the workers and sought that they work up to 9.30 pm.

When the workers expressed their difficulties and apprehensions for their safety and sought for the provision of transportation, the management of Nimhans fired them on July 9, 2021,” said the release.

As per a notification dated November 20, 2019, issued by the state government, women workers can work in shifts beyond 7 pm only if their consent has been taken and if the employer provides transportation facility to them from their residence, and ensures that each transportation vehicle is equipped with a CCTV camera.

These workers, who are members and office-bearers of NPWU, have been sitting in protest from July 9, demanding that they be taken back into service. They will continue their protest till they’re reinstated, said the note.

In a media statement, the Nimhans registrar said, “All the 16 workers belong to the outsourced agency Sree Vinayaka Enterprises. None of these are employed by Nimhans and we don’t have any control on these workers.”

“The agency defines the nature of work, postings and timings of their workers. Nimhans has nothing to do with it,” the registrar said.