Ludhiana, October 1
The Brown Memorial Hospital Employees Union has submitted a memorandum to the members of the governing body of the Christian Medical College and Brown Memorial Hospital demanding that the members should be accessible to the employees, students and general public at least for a day during its meetings.
Mr Gian Singh, president, and Mr B.M.Fredrick, general secretary of the union, said the governing body met twice a year, but the employees found it difficult to approach its members. As a result, grievances of employees and the public could not be brought to the notice of the governing body members.
Mr Fredrick said the charter of demands submitted by the union was still lying pending with the administration for the past more than one year. In spite of various reminders, the management had not invited representatives of the union for negotiations on the demand charter. It had caused great resentment among the employees, he said.
As per the memorandum, the administrators had planned to amend the Service Regulations, but the copies of proposed amendments had not been supplied to the union and the heads of various department in order to invite objections and comments to the proposed amendments.
The employees, through the memorandum, had alleged that earlier the departmental inquiries on charges
levelled against employees were conducted by a professor or senior faculty members. They were not paid any remunerations for the inquiry, but for the past three years, administrators had engaged a retired professor and he was being paid hefty fees, along with other facilities and benefits, for conducting inquiries.
Being a paid worker, he followed the terms of administrators and gave all reports against the employees, they alleged.
The management of the nurses’ mess had been given in the hands of a committee of nurses, who in order to minimize monthly expenditure had removed a qualified supervisor and appointed some untrained daily wagers who had no knowledge regarding hygiene. They purchase substandard material for the mess. The condition of other two messes was even worse, they alleged.
The employees also complained that the administration had done over-construction on the premises in violation of MC rules according to which 60 per cent area should be left as ‘open space’. The present situation caused a health hazard to the employees, their families and the general public, they alleged.
The union said the governing body members should pay attention to the grievances of employees so that cordial relations between employees and the management could be established.
