Kerala: RCC doctors, staff on strike over anomalies in implementation of 7th pay commission

Thiruvananthapuram: Fed up with the government's indifference over their long-standing demands related to anomalies in the salary payment, problems with the in-house pension scheme and administrative inefficiencies, the doctors, nurses and other employees of the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Kerala went on a strike for an hour from 9 AM on 15th December 2022.  

They alleged that the government and the RCC administration have been continuously ignoring their demands and no concrete decision has been made so far even after waiting for a long time due to which they have been forced to come out and protest. 

Also Read: Kerala: RCC Doctors condemn in-house pension scheme

The strike call was made jointly by the Doctors' Association of RCC (DARCC), the RCC Staff Association (RCCSA), the Nurses' Association of RCC (NARCC) and the RCC Employees' Congress (RCCEC). 

The primary issue they raised was anomalies in the salary matrix following the implementation of the 7th Central Pay Commission recommendations as they have drawing irregular salaries since 2016. After a recent Government Order, the doctors have been denied Travel Allowance (TA) and their House Rent Allowance (HRA) has been further capped. Thus, the doctors are demanding the restoration of HRA without capping it, reinstatement of TA and implementation of pay revision as well as arrears from January 2016, reports the Hindu. 

Further, the employees of the RCC in Thiruvananthapuram have long been getting affected by the issue of the organization's pension plan, which the employees have been calling, "unviable and inequitable". The RCC Employees' Pension Scheme or REPS is being implemented by the RCC forcefully, which was also a part of their protest grievances. Various litigations related to the pension schemes are reported to be pending in the High Court and the issue has been getting talked about since 2016, and one of the members of the REPS management committee has also raised concerns about the scheme. 

The doctors alleged that the hospital is reeling under a shortage of human resources at multiple levels due to administrative inefficiencies which have been affecting patient care. The proportion of patients is high as compared to the number of staff and infrastructure available, which in turn has led to delays in patient care. 

As per a media report in the Times of India, the protesters are demanding the release of salary arrears of around 171 nursing staff. They held that the employees should be given nursing care allowances and patient care allowances same as that of the employees of Sree Chitra Thirunal Institute of Medical Sciences and Technology.

Medical dialogues team had earlier reported about these issues which the doctors had been raising for many months, where they had warned of holding protests if their demands were not met. Many doctors had left the institution due to irregularities and inconsistencies in the salary system and structure, arbitrary promotions, and complaints about inadequate facilities to meet the expanding demand. 

Also Read: Kerala: RCC Doctors threaten to protest over poor facilities