SVIMS workers stage protest demanding wage hike

Tirupati: Workers of Sri Venkateswara Institute of Medical Sciences (SVIMS) staged a protest on Wednesday morning, marching from the hospital to the TTD administrative building, where they continued their demonstration until afternoon. The protestors demanded a wage hike and resolution of long-standing issues affecting their livelihoods.

Following the protest, a delegation of workers submitted a memorandum outlining their grievances to TTD Joint Executive Officer (JEO) V Veerabrahmam. Addressing the gathering, CITU district general secretary Kandarapu Murali stated that despite working for SVIMS since its inception, the workers have not received salary increment or had their issues addressed. He lamented that while governments and officials have changed over time, the workers’ lives and circumstances have remained stagnant.

Murali pointed out that when SVIMS was initially established, certain employees were recruited as ward boys. However, their designation was later changed to sanitation workers, which, he argued, had adverse effects on their employment conditions. He criticised the authorities for making decisions that have left workers struggling without proper benefits. The protestors also raised concerns about excessive workload. They claimed that workers were being assigned a variety of tasks, ranging from cleaning to assisting in operation theatres, without clear job allocations. The workers warned that if their demands are not met, they would be forced to go on strike.

CITU district president G Balasubramaniam and CITU Tirupati city secretary K Venugopal stated that when SVIMS was under government control, workers were hopeful that its merger with TTD would resolve their issues and lead to wage hikes.

Following the protest, a six-member CITU delegation submitted a memorandum to JEO Veerabrahmam. The JEO assured the workers that he would discuss their concerns and work towards a resolution at the earliest. The protest saw participation from SVIMS Workers’ Union Secretary Ravi, President Suri, Treasurer Mari Muthu, and leaders Gopi, Velu, Venkatesh, Vijayalakshmi, and Subrahmanyam, among others.