Nurses of Udupi get justice: Human Rights Commission directs dept to pay salary

Bellevision Media Network

 

Udupi, 29 Jul 2014: Karnataka State Human Rights Commission has given its verdict regarding the case where several nurses of the district working in Government health centres were not given the salary fixed by the Government itself. The Department of Health and Family Welfare has been directed to pay the nurses their lawful salaries.

 

Human Rights Protection Foundation Udupi had filed a suit in the Commission in favour of the nurses working full time at District and Primary Health centres, who were fraudulently paid only Rs. 4,575 per month since fourteen years, albeit the Government documents clearly stated their monthly salary to be Rs 17,650, stated Dr Ravindranath Shanbhag, Director of the Foundation in a press release.

 

Background Story

About fourteen years ago, somewhere in 2000, sixteen nurses were given temporary appointment orders by the District Health Officers in the year 2000.  The initial salary of Rs. 3,300 was later fixed to Rs 4,575 in February 2007.

 

In May 2007, the Government incremented the salary to Rs 8,825 and again raised to Rs 17,650 in 2012.  The regular increments in pay scale were merely wasted words in the documents and never implemented. The nurses have been receiving a salary of Rs. 4,575 since 2006.

 

Helpless nurses

Most of these nurses belong to Udupi and commute to District Health centres as far as Hebri and Baindur. They incur close to a sum of Rs. 3,000 to Rs. 3,500 for travelling from their residence to place of work.

 

They made numerous requests writing to the District Health officer, District Health and Family Welfare Office, Ajjarkad, to increase monthly basic salary rightly due to them.

 

Ultimately in May, 2013, the order was passed that the salary of Rs. 17,650 must be paid including the arrears.  And no payment was received even after a year.

 

The Foundation takes up the case

Human Rights Protection Foundation wrote appealing to every official starting from district collector to Director of Health.  District Health Officer of Udupi responded to the letter saying he has requested the Director of Health to release the money and nothing happened.

 

Astonishingly, although the services of drivers, doctors and other posts, besides nurses appointed afterwards, have been regularized, these 16 nurses continue to be retained on contract basis.

 

Observing that the nurses feared losing their temporary jobs if they moved the court, the Foundation took up the matter to the State Human Rights Commission.

 

It is already a month since the order from the Commission was passed, and there has been no release of the salary amount.  The Foundation will file a contempt petition, if the salary amount is not paid within a week.

 

Slave nurses in North Karnataka too

After the news of nurses working as slaves in Udupi and the petition filed by Human Rights Protection Foundation Udupi, at the State Human Rights Commission was published in public media, several nurses with similar issues have approached the Foundation and requested support.  Their documents are being studied and rightful assistance will be provided.

 

Arrears plus interest to be paid

As per the order from the State Human Rights Commission, each nurse is to get about 7 lac.  It is only lawful to pay the interest for seven years.  In case the Health Department fails to pay the interest, the Foundation is prepared to fight for interest payment.