Medical Teachers Of Gujarat Go On Statewide Strike

Hundreds of medical teachers of Gujarat along with professors and lecturers from the Gujarat Medical Teachers Association (GMTA) have declared a state strike on the government since Thursday.

Minister listing their claims which they said have been pending for more than a decade, is said to be the reason for the strike. 

On May 7th, members of the Association of Medicine Teachers went on a symbolic hunger strike, which, among other things, demanded a salary increase. This was withdrawn by the Ministers until May 10th after a meeting with the Home Minister  Pradeepsinh Jadeja in Gandhinagar.

On Wednesday, more than 1,700 medical professors from six GMTA-affiliated state medical schools said they had joined the protest since Thursday. On Wednesday, a nationwide strike by all incumbent non-Covid members was announced on the university campus. GMTA said it will take part in the rally from Friday.

GMTA president Dr Rajnish Patel said, " Despite assurances, there has been no communication from the state government on the issues that were last discussed with the Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja on May 7. As we were assured to receive a confirmation, we waited till Monday and even the following day but no response was received from the authorities. So, finally, we had to give a call for the strike."

In addition, nurses at the Gujarat Medical Education and Research Society (GMERS) at Sola Civil Hospital have joined the GMERS Teachers Association's call for an indefinite strike. Also, the nurses at Asarwa Civil Hospital held a rally on International Nurses Day Wednesday to protest long-standing demands for higher pay levels.

As of 2016, the Seventh Payment Commission for GMERS Nursing has not been introduced. In addition, the nurses have no promotion policy in place, although for the past 12 years they have worked with other pending litigation and they have upgraded with various departments said Dhawal Patel, president of the GMERS Nurses Association.

Representative feature Image Credit: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters