Secretariat employees, unemployed nurses hold joint protest in Shimla

Shimla (Himachal Pradesh) [India], August 23 : The Himachal Pradesh Secretariat witnessed a joint protest on Friday as secretariat employees and unemployed and outsourced nursing workers gathered to voice their demands.
The secretariat employees, led by the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat Employees Association, demanded the release of their pending arrears and Dearness Allowance.
The protest was joined by unemployed and outsourced nurses who called for an end to private outsourcing and demanded regular government employment for trained nurses in the state.
Sanjeev Sharma, the president of the Himachal Pradesh Secretariat Employees Association, expressed frustration over the government's inaction.
"Despite past assurances, the state government and the Chief Minister have not addressed our demands, forcing us to resort to this protest. We have given the government until September 10 to meet our demands, or we will escalate our protest," said Sharma.
He further added, "We have repeatedly raised the issue of the pending Dearness Allowance and arrears for our employees with the Chief Minister, but only small amounts have been released, and nothing substantial has been done. We are demanding our rightful dues, not asking for charity. If our demands are not met by the time of the Vidhan Sabha session, we will all wear black badges and intensify our protest. There is a lot of anger among the workers, and for the first time, we have the support of employees across the state."
Pallavi, an unemployed nurse who joined the protest, highlighted the plight of private nurses.
"I am a private nurse and completed MSC Nursing a long time ago. There are over 250 people from every district here today, fighting for our rights. Outsourcing leads to exploitation, and regular posts are not advertised. We demand that 50 percent of the jobs be allocated based on seniority, and privatisation should be banned," she stated.
Another protester, Jyotsana, who has been unemployed for 14 years, echoed similar sentiments.
"We don't want to work under contractors; we want the government to consider our demands. If private nursing is promoted, we will be exploited and underemployed. We want 50% of our jobs to be paid by the government," she said.
Kamal Krishan Sharma, another leader of the Secretariat Employees Union, reiterated the demands and frustrations of the employees.
"We met with the Chief Minister to discuss the long-pending dues of the employees. We requested that the dues be released by August 15, but they have been deferred to October or November. When it comes to employees, the process is always delayed, while expenses in other areas are approved quickly. This has caused great anger among the employees," he remarked.
He further warned that if their demands are not met by the September 10 assembly session, there will be a general house meeting where further actions will be decided. "We will prepare public resolutions, and if the pending arrears are not paid, we will escalate our protest," Kamal Krishan Sharma added.
The secretariat employees and the unemployed nurses have made it clear that they are prepared to continue their protest until their demands are met. The state government now faces mounting pressure to address their grievances before the deadline.