IMPHAL, July 21: The non-gazetted employees of the Jawaharlal Nehru Institute of Medical Sciences (JNIMS) who have been absorbed from the former Jawaharlal Nehru Hospital in 2009 have demanded that the authorities concerned should formulate pension and other benefit schemes which are not applicable under the present service rules of the JNIMS.
Speaking to media persons today at the premises of JNIMS, the general secretary of Non-Gazetted Employees Welfare Association of JN Hospital, Th Biren stated that the employees of the hospital were considered as state government employees before they were amalgamated with JNIMS in 2009. However, they are now deprived of their pension and other benefit schemes which other state government employees enjoy.
The non-gazetted employees comprising of the staff nurses, paramedical staff and other grade-IV employees have joined JNIMS without having clear knowledge of their service rules. Most of these employees have served for more than 20 years under the state government and some of them are on the verge of superannuation, he asserted.
Biren further maintained that one grade-IV employee has recently retired and as per the service conditions of the state government he is entitled to get pension, provident fund and some other benefits. But, he could not obtain such benefits due to the lack proper service conditions for the non-gazetted employees.
The state health department has regarded these employees as those of the JNIMS and they have been deprived of the benefits of the state employees. On the other, the JNIMS being an institution run by a society cannot afford huge fund for arranging pensions and other benefit schemes. In May this year the staffs were given intimation by the health director to make their choice on either to return to the state health department or remain at the JNIMS.
The general secretary further announced that the association would take legal assistance to demand better service conditions if the authorities concerned fail to address the issue in time.
It may be mentioned here that the association had repeatedly submitted memorandums to the state health minister as well as health director to make necessary arrangement to provide pension and other benefit schemes to the non-gazetted employees.