Vokkaligara Sangha employees donate blood as protest

Over thousand employees belonging to institutes under the Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha have taken their protest to another phase. On Tuesday, the protesters will symbolically donate blood to cancer patients at Kidwai Memorial Institute of Oncology.

These employees have been on a protest for over a week now seeking better pay and changes in the administration.

The protest by Vokkaligara Sangha Employees Association is taking place at the Kempegowda Institue of Medical Sciences premises. They have been seeking the implementation of the sixth pay commission.

From September 25, the Association members claim to have sent six letters to Ashokananda, administrative officer, demanding sixth pay commission implementation and extra employees but to no effect.They have claimed that none from the administration have approached them so far.

R Rangaraju, a member of the Vokkaligara Sangha Employee Association, who is also leading the protest said that none of the services were affected in the hospital due to their protest.

He also claimed that 95 per cent of practising doctors are granted the NPA (Non-Practicing Allowance) which amounts to three crores which was misused. This factor has caused a huge loss to the employees working here

Reacting to this, D S Betta Gowda, President of Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha said, "The decision to stage the protest was not acceptable. It is the government that has appointed the administrator to the Sangha. We cannot interfere in it now untill the next person is appointed."

He also said that implementation of the sixth pay commission meant an additional expense of RS 25 crore to the Sangha. "There is no source of income that can generate this large an amount now. It will not be possible to consider their demand. Also, only about four employees have been instigating others into protesting. Many have confessed that they are part of the protest unwillingly," Gowda said.