Chandigarh: After HC rap, PGI outsourced workers end strike

After the Punjab and Haryana high court’s rap, outsourced hospital attendants, who had been on strike for a week at Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research (PGIMER), Chandigarh, called off their protest and resumed work on Thursday.
The attendants, who had been on strike since October 10, were demanding the release of pending arrears amounting to about ₹30 crore. These arrears, covering the period from November 2018 to April 2024, have been a point of contention for the 1,600 attendants, who have been hired through a private service provider.
The main grievance of the workers is that despite a budget of ₹46 crore being approved in April 2024 to settle dues for other outsourced staff, their arrears remained unpaid. This led to the strike that intensified on October 11, with other outsourced workers, including sanitary and kitchen staff, joining them in solidarity.
More than 3,000 outsourced workers were on strike, disrupting services at the institute. The workers sat in protest near Kairon Block, and patient services across the hospital, including sanitation, were affected.
Dissatisfied but complying with HC order: Union leader
Rinku Bhagat, a union leader representing the striking workers, expressed dissatisfaction with the administration’s response. He said that the only demand the administration had accepted is the release of 20% of pending arrears for some sanitation workers who had already received part of their dues earlier.
Despite this, Bhagat announced that the workers are ending their strike to comply with orders from the Punjab and Haryana high court. He confirmed that the workers would immediately return to their duties.
The decision to end the strike came after the court directed the striking workers to resume work. The court emphasised that essential services in a hospital, like sanitation and patient care, could not be disrupted due to service disputes.
The bench, led by chief justice Sheel Nagu and justice Anil Kshetarpal, noted that the PGIMER administration and the Union Territory (UT) of Chandigarh were free to take necessary actions to ensure the workers returned to work. They warned that further delays in resuming services could lead to coercive measures under the law. The court was responding to a petition from PGIMER, which highlighted the severe impact the strike was having on the functioning of the institute, particularly on hygiene and patient care.
Dr Vipin Koushal, the PGIMER spokesperson, explained that the administration was committed to resolving the workers’ demands but stressed that holding the institute to ransom is unacceptable. He emphasised that the strike was putting the lives and health of thousands of patients at risk. He said that the hospital had been urging the workers to come to the table for discussions. He reassured the public that critical services like the outpatient department (OPD), emergency, and trauma care are functional, largely thanks to volunteers and regular staff stepping into manage the load.
However, elective surgeries and new patient registrations were postponed due to the strike.
Half-day for OPDs
Today, it is a gazetted holiday for Valmiki Jayanti, meaning there was a half-day operation for the OPDs at the institute. Emergency services, trauma care, and ICUs remained functional.
On Wednesday, despite the strike, the hospital managed to serve a significant number of patients. The OPD saw 5,442 patients, while the Emergency OPD admitted 160 new cases. The Trauma OPD treated 14 new patients, and 16 procedures were performed in the Cath Lab.