More than 150 contract and outsourcing workers at ESI Hospital in Nacharam, Hyderabad, went on strike on Thursday, protesting that they had not been paid for more than four months. The workers, drawn from different hospital cadres, demanded the immediate release of their pending salaries from the hospital administration and contractors.
The protest was backed by the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and led by its State General Secretary, M. Narasimha. According to Telangana Today, the workers criticised health authorities and contractors for failing to honour assurances that outstanding wages would be cleared.
Narasimha said the hospital administration had maintained that contract employees would receive their salaries on the first day of every month. He questioned how workers could manage their daily lives when payments had remained pending for four months. His remarks highlighted the difference between the stated payment schedule and the experience reported by the protesting workers.
The workers said they had first submitted a representation to the hospital superintendent about a month ago. They then held a one-hour protest on October 13, after which contractors allegedly promised to clear the pending dues by October 19. The workers said the promised payment did not take place, leading to Thursday’s strike.
The dispute places the administrative responsibility for contract labour payments at the centre of the protest. Workers have accused both hospital authorities and contractors of failing to resolve the issue, while the reported statements from the two sides have created uncertainty over who is responsible for the delay and when the dues will be paid.
The protest also involves staff working across different cadres at the hospital, including caregivers, according to the report. While the workers’ immediate demand is the disbursement of their salaries, any prolonged stoppage by support staff could create operational pressure at a public health facility. The available report does not specify whether hospital services were disrupted or whether an official payment schedule was issued after the protest.
The workers warned that they would intensify their action by laying siege to the State Labour Minister’s office if the authorities failed to intervene. The next step announced by the protesting workers is therefore linked to whether the hospital administration and contractors clear the pending salaries and respond to their demands.
