Agreeing to prepare options for addressing the demand
Contract health workers and employees removed from Pokhara Metropolitan Municipality have opened the lock on the health division. The lock was opened on Tuesday evening after the discussion with the negotiating representative sent by Mayor Dhanraj Acharya came to an agreement to hold a meeting again after preparing options to address the demand.
Kara Sangharsi Sangharsh Committee had locked down the branch located in Pokhara-27 on Tuesday morning with 9 different demands. They sat on dharna after the lockdown. After this, Mayor Acharya sent Acting Chief Administrative Officer Hemprasad Acharya, Health Division Chief Bharatraj Poudel, Pokhara-4 Ward President Devkrishna Parajuli and Pokhara-27 Ward President Poorna Kumar Gurung for talks.
Struggle Committee Coordinator Anita Giri said that the lock was opened after agreeing to hold a meeting again after deciding the options to address the demand. "We are positive to address the demand, that's why we held the meeting after asking to open the lock," she said, "There was no pressure to do exactly this." It was said that they will also bring options, we will also bring options.'
Pokhara-27 Ward President Purnakumar Gurung said that an alternative will be sought so that it does not go against the decision of the Municipal Assembly. There is no need to go against the decision of the Municipal Assembly. We have asked them (health workers) to come up with alternatives, what else can be done," he said. He informed that the two parties will hold a meeting again at 8 am on Thursday morning after deciding the options to address the demand.
The protesting employees have demanded to implement the order of the court, not to make the health division without health workers, to implement the fundamental rights of health, to cancel the appointment of 3 employees who were appointed without competition on the basis of 'goodwill', to reinstate the expelled health workers, to guarantee the legal rights of the health workers-employees under service contracts, to maintain institutional governance and the rule of law in the metropolitan city, to implement organization and management, and not to hire new contracts instead of contracts.
The special city assembly of the metropolitan city on November 28 decided not to renew the contracts of the contract employees after the end of the year. After that, the Administration Division of the Metropolitan Municipality sent a letter to the Health Division on December 21 not to renew the appointment of contract employees. According to this decision, 61 health workers of the department were removed. After this, the matter reached the Pokhara High Court, and the court refused to grant an interim order. On January 11, 59 health workers filed a petition in the Supreme Court. The Supreme Court issued a short-term interim order not to remove the employees on January 13.
In the writ registered on January 11, the Pokhara Metropolitan Municipality, Municipal Assembly, Health Department, Posting Committee, Chief Administrative Officer, Provincial Public Service Commission have been made opponents. After the assurance of Mayor Dhanraj Acharya who gave the appointment, 3 of the petitioners have withdrawn their application. The payment of this writ is scheduled for next June 18.
