AIIMS Unions hold symbolic protest, threaten to go on strike from Oct 25 against hospital administration

New Delhi: All three unions of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences held a hour-long protest against the hospital administration on Monday, and have threatened to go on strike if their pending demands are not considered by the administration.

The AIIMS unions, comprising about 15,000 of the AIIMS Employees Union, the AIIMS Nurses Union and the Officers Association of AIIMS, said that it was a symbolic protest but they will go on strike from October 25 if their demands -- assured after the 2020 strike -- are not fulfilled.

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This is likely to cause problems to thousands of patients undergoing treatment at the AIIMS.

"To show our strength to the AIIMS administration, hundreds of employees of the three union held a symbolic protest today and raised slogans against the AIIMS administration," AIIMS Nurses Union President Harish Kajla said.

He said that the nursing officers and nurses were assured by the government after the strike in December last year that all demands would be discussed and problems would be resolved but nothing has happened yet. Apart from separate issues of the three unions, there are also some common issues they are demanding redress from the administration, he added.

Officers Union President Ajit Kumar said that AIIMS administration has not fulfilled any of their demands so far. He said that despite being a central employee, only 10 per cent employers' contribution is being given to the nurses in the NPS scheme, while the Central government gives 14 per cent contribution to its employees.

He said that they have been demanding a cadre review since long.

Ajit Kumar also said that the AIIMS administration will be responsible for any loss and damage caused by the unions' strike.

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