With the number of COVID-19 positive persons increasing at a rapid rate, the Karnataka government on Monday banned protests or any form of disobedience by health workers across the state. The Government has issued a notification stating disobeying or refusing to work entrusted by a superior officer in connection with COVID duty would attract penal provisions under the Karnataka State Civil Services (Prevention of Strikes) Act, 1966 (Karnataka Act No 30 of 1966).
The Chief Secretary T M Vijay Bhaskar has signed the circular. It prohibits strikes, non-cooperation, disobeying or refusing work related to health services, non-submission of reports, non-compliance to orders issued by higher authorities by any public servant, health personnel, regular, contractual, and outsourced employees of the health department, in the interest of public health. Health workers are putting their own lives at risk, but when their nominal demands are not met they start to protest. ASHA workers staged a protest demanding an honorarium of Rs 12,000 and Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) kits. After assurance from the Government the strike was called off. After the two months period still, the demand is unfulfilled.
On September 15, doctors under the banner of Karnataka Government Medical Officers Association stopped the work, stopped all online and offline release of COVID and non-COVID data, and demanded pay parity with their counterparts in the Medical Education Department or pay revision as per the Central Government Health Scheme. The strike was called off after the ministers addressed their demands. On September 24, 30,000-plus Karnataka State Health and Medical Education Department Contractual and Outsourced Employees Association members protested, demanding job security, wage parity. “Health Minister B Sriramulu has called a meeting on Tuesday. Based on the discussion we will decide what to do next,” said a KSHCOEA member.
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