In a press release, they complained that salary rationalisation has not been carried out for service delivery staff (SDS), which was supposed to take effect from September 2021, as was done for programme management staff.
When SDS members met with the NHM Meghalaya Mission Director, Ram Kumar, in November, he reportedly gave a verbal assurance that this would be done by January 2022. However, when this deadline passed, the SDS met him again in February when he again assured them that the matter will be sorted out by March-April.
Unfortunately for the employees, after they met Health and Family Welfare Minister James Sangma, they received a written notification to the effect that salary rationalisation will only be done by the end of May. The NHM staff are also aggrieved that they have not received the promised 5 percent increment of their arrears since 2019.
Now, Kumar has reportedly told the SDS that rationalisation will only be complete by July and will not take effect from September 2021.
These “false promises” have demoralised the NHM employees, who have now resolved to undertake state-wide agitations until their demand is met.
