Medical teachers’ strike from December 13 in Gujarat

AHMEDABAD: Doctors of six government-run medical colleges and eight

Gujarat

Medical & Education Research Society (GMERS) colleges will go on an indefinite strike from

December 13

to protest the reduction in salaries and press for their other pending demands from the government.

Gujarat

Medical Teachers

Association (GMTA), which represents professors and lecturers of the six government medical colleges, said in a press statement on Monday that they recently organized rallies in Vadodara, Rajkot, Surat, Ahmedabad, Bhavnagar and Jamnagar to put across their demands to the government.

Over the past few months, professors have been facing salary cuts in the range of Rs 25,000 to Rs 96,000 per month. The government gave dearness allowance for about five months but decided to withdraw it, and recovered the money paid from the salaries of professors.

“Some demands are very old but still there is no response from the government. The new CM and ministers are not aware of our issues, it seems, and hence we had to take out rallies in different cities. Government should stop appointment of doctors and health workers on a contractual basis and give them permanent employment or hire on ad hoc basis. These and other demands should be immediately met by the government,” said a GMTA member. Also, promotions of many faculty members at GMERS colleges have been pending for a long time, he added.

Members of GMTA will go on an indefinite strike beginning December 13 if their demands are not met and that they will be joined by in-service doctors of GMERS colleges, according to GMTA press statement.

Earlier this year, GMTA members called off their strike when they were assured by the state government that their demands would be addressed. The demands included higher non-practising allowance in line with the Seventh Pay Commission recommendations.