Resident doctors working at hospitals run by the Delhi government have threatened to go on mass strike from next Tuesday (January 17) over the failure to implement the recommendations of the 7th Central Pay Commission (CPC) applicable to them.
There are about 15,000 resident doctors working at 42-odd government hospitals in the National Capital and are members of the umbrella organisation, the Federation of Resident Doctors Association (FORDA).
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While doctors working at the Central government hospitals are getting enhanced salaries in accordance with the recommendations of the 7th CPC, the resident doctors are yet to be covered, according to Dr Pankaj Solanki, president of FORDA.
"Delhi Health minister (Satyendra Jain) has informed us that the resident doctors of Delhi Govt will get benefits of 7th CPC. We have asked for a formal meeting for the same before 17th of January, 2017, and formal order for disbursement of salary and arrears as per the 7th CPC. However, if the government does not agree to our demands, we will go on an indefinite strike from 17th January, 2017," Dr Solanki said.
"Doctors employed with the government, including professors, associate professors, assistant professors and even nurses, have been receiving their salaries according to the 7th Pay Commission since the month of October 2016. We don't know why the resident doctors are not being extended the same benefit. This is highly unfair," Dr Pankaj added.
It may be recalled here that the Central government is yet to implement the proposals pertaining to hike in allowances as recommended by the 7th CPC.
The 7th CPC examined 196 allowances and gave its recommendations on abolishing or raising some of them while recommending others to be subsumed with other perks. It had proposed 138.71 per cent hike in HRA and 49.79 per cent for other allowances, while submitting its voluminous report in November 2015.
The 7th CPC recommendations cover about 47 lakh Central government employees and 53 lakh pensioners.
