Lagatar24 Desk
Ranchi: Employees of Jharkhand’s 108 ambulance service have announced they will resume their protest from October 6 over long-pending demands, saying no concrete action has been taken despite assurances from Health Minister Dr. Irfan Ansari that had led them to suspend their earlier agitation for 20 days.
Union Says Government Failed to Act Despite Assurance
In a statement issued on October 1, Neeraj Tiwari, state president of the Jharkhand Pradesh Ambulance Employees’ Union, said that at a meeting held on September 16 under the chairmanship of the Health Minister, employees had been assured that their demands would be reviewed and resolved within 15 to 20 days. Trusting this assurance, the union had called off its agitation at the time, but said the deadline has since passed without their demands being addressed.
Key Demands Include Government-Run Operations and Job Reinstatement
Among the union’s primary demands are that the 108 ambulance service be operated directly at the government level, that employee salaries be disbursed through the Civil Surgeon’s office, and that workers removed by the Samman Foundation be reinstated. The union has also demanded entitlements such as EPF, ESI, overtime pay, gratuity and minimum wages.
Phased Protest Plan Announced, Indefinite Strike Threatened from October 21
The union has laid out a phased protest schedule: employees will wear black badges while on duty from October 6 to 9, followed by a candle march from the Civil Surgeon’s office to the Deputy Commissioner’s office on October 9. A symbolic “begging” demonstration will be held outside the Civil Surgeon’s office on October 12, followed by a sit-in protest on October 14. On October 16, employees across the state will observe a one-day strike and demonstrate outside the National Health Mission (NHM) office in Namkum. If demands remain unmet even after this, the union has warned of launching an indefinite strike from October 21.
Union Appeals for Resolution Before Protest Begins
The union has said the agitation will be carried out peacefully and has appealed to the government to take a concrete decision on the demands before the protest begins on October 6, so that the state’s 108 emergency ambulance service is not disrupted.
