Delhi: Government hospital security guards stage protest over delayed salaries
Security guards at Lok Nayak Jai Prakash (LNJP) Hospital in Delhi staged a strike on Wednesday, citing held-up wages and potential fraud by their employer. Per Jagran, all 342 protesting guards asserted that their salary has been constantly delayed over the past 38 months. They further claimed to have been working beyond their regular shifts. The security guards have demanded that the Delhi government and the guard agency pay their salaries and provident fund (PF) on time.
Security guards' strike at Delhi hospital
Allegations of fraud and delay in salaries
Harish Kumar, an LNJP Hospital security guard, informed IANS that they were initially guaranteed a daily wage of Rs. 661 for 26 days of work, totaling over Rs. 17,000. However, they now only receive Rs. 10,800 for 26 days and Rs. 12,500 for 30 days. Kumar mentioned that since starting in 2020, there has been no pay raise, and they have not been given any employee benefits such as PF, ESI card, or Diwali bonus.
Demands for timely salaries and past due PF
This marks the third instance the LNJP security guards have protested, demanding punctual wages and their owed PF. As per NewsClick, more than 140 security personnel are associated with the agency in the picture and not all of them participated in the protests. Notably, Wednesday's strike was led by their supervisor. At present, the security guards are still demanding their overdue PF and the salary mandated by the Delhi government.
Contradicting statements by authorities
Kumar said, "When we raise the issue they say the bill is yet to be passed by the Medical Director's office. However, when we reached out to the MD office they said that the bill has already been passed." The LNJP Hospital, whose foundation stone was laid by the then Viceroy Lord Irwin in 1930, is the largest government-run hospital in Delhi. It was the primary facility during the COVID-19 pandemic and has 2,000 beds.
