Lauded as COVID Warriors, disengaged
Srinagar, May 16: 93 paramedical and nursing staff, once hailed as COVID warriors, have appealed to J&K Chief Minister Omar Abdullah to ensure compliance to Supreme Court order and revoke their disengagement from Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar.
They argue that even the apex court has acknowledged their disengagement discriminatory and urged that all workers engaged in the same manner cannot be treated differently.
In a detailed letter to the CM, the former employees who had been hired under the Academic Arrangement Basis (AAB-SRO:384) since 2011 evoked the hardships they were facing and cited their decade-long service. As per the letter, the group was part of 477 paramedical and nursing staff engaged by GMC Srinagar under SRO-384. The SRO paved the way for temporary academic appointments to tide over the staff shortages in various areas of healthcare and medical education in the GMC. However, as per the J&K Medical and Dental Education Rules under SRO 384/2009 the academic arrangement cannot exceed six years for a person. However, some employees approached the High Court and CAT Jammu to get relief, the ruling coming in their favour, directing the Medical College to allow them to continue their engagement pending regularisation. In 2023, they approached the Supreme Court securing an interim order for status quo.
However, 93 employees filed the petition later than the first lot, and the medical college did not treat these at par with other employees that had received status quo orders. They were disengaged, “against the principal of natural justice”.
The letter to CM claims that this action was discriminatory, underscoring that the 93 people were excluded from a Special Leave Petition (SLP) due to delays in covering litigation costs, leaving them vulnerable while their colleagues retained their positions.
“We have been suffering a lot and undergoing psychological trauma,” the letter states, It states that many of the disengaged staff are now past the age limit for government jobs and that they have been the sole breadwinners for their families. “We see a dark future ahead, as we cannot apply afresh in any recruitment process,” they wrote, emphasising the emotional and financial toll of their abrupt dismissal.
These workers served GMC’s associated hospitals for years, enduring challenging periods such as the 2014 floods, the 2016 unrest, and the COVID-19 pandemic. During the pandemic, they were lauded as COVID warriors, with the J&K administration promising incentives and job security weightage in 2021.
The case is currently under review by the Supreme Court, which is examining the broader validity of SRO-384 appointments. The employees argue that the pending case does not prevent the government or GMC from reinstating them to ensure “equal justice”, especially since their colleagues continue to enjoy “status quo”. They have urged the CM to revoke the “harsh and hasty” disengagement order, allowing them to benefit from any future court ruling alongside other SRO-384 staff.
