108 staff calls off stir

Hyderabad: Following successful talks with Telangana Health Minister Dr C Lakshma Reddy, the employees of 108 Ambulance Service ended their strike on Sunday. During the talks held at the State Secretariat here on Sunday, the Health Minister assured the striking staff to resolve all the demands raised by them within two months.

The demands included payment of minimum salary of Rs 20,000 per month, eight-hour duty, restoration of services of employees who were sacked for going on strike last year and payment of salaries for the strike period. The minister announced the constitution of a six-member committee to review the demands. He assured the staff to speak to the GVK Group for payment of salaries to them for the strike period.

The committee will be headed by Parliamentary Secretaries D Vinay Bhaskar and Gadari Kishore.Minister Laxma Reddy, however, was non-committal about one of their main demands of 8-hour shift a day. “An appropriate decision will be taken at an appropriate time,” was all that the minister said. Employees have claimed that they are made to work for 12 hours a day.

The Government has also not stated its stand on the employees’ demand that the Government should manage the 108 service as it is bearing the entire cost of operations of the ambulance service. The strike unified two rival unions of the 108 staff and all the 1,650 odd staff now owe allegiance to one association, which is affiliated to the ruling TRS.