HC notices to Delhi govt, North DMC on hospital employees' pending salaries plea

The Delhi High Court on Thursday issued notice to the Delhi government and North Delhi Municipal Corporation on a petition challenging the irregularity in timely payment of salary to Group C and Group D employees of the hospital administration department and hospitals-run by the North DMC.

A division bench of Justice Hima Kohli and Justice Subramonium Prasad sought the response of the Delhi government and the North DMC on the petition by the Hospital Employees Union. The petition sought direction to pay the salary of workers on time each month.

Advocate Rajiv Agarwal, appearing for the petitioner hospital employees union, said that Group C employees have not been paid their salary for May, June and July, Group D employees have not got their dues for June and July.

Besides direction for payment of salaries, the employees also sought the imposition of exemplary costs on the authorities and pay the same to the workers to compensate for their monetary loss and agony.

The plea said that for the past five years, the respondents have made a habit of paying salary to these employees after a delay of two-three months, that too after many representations and protests.

"Even during the COVID-19 pandemic, when their workload has grown many folds and when these employees have become the most vulnerable; they are not getting their salary on time. It is submitted that Group C employees have not been paid their salary for the month of May, June and July; whereas Group D employees have not got their salary for the month of June and July," the plea said.

It also mentioned that the lives of employees have become miserable because of the indifferent attitude of the Respondents in ensuring timely payment of salary and added that many employees are facing difficulties in paying for their children's education.

"Their family members are also at a greater risk of falling sick. Employees dread of thinking such a situation and that too when their pockets are empty. Their savings have depleted because of this chronic delay," the plea said.

"The uncertainty in payment of salary has made their credibility very low among others, and even their neighbourhood shopkeepers are abstaining away from lending any credit facility to these employees for groceries and other essential items," it added.

It said that there are over 5,000 employees in five hospitals of the North DMC -- Bara Hindu Rao Hospital, RBTB Hospital, Infectious Diseases Hospital, Kasturba Gandhi Hospital and Gurdhari Lal Maternity Hospital, 21 dispensaries, 63 maternity and child welfare centres, 17 polyclinics and 7 maternity homes.

( With inputs from ANI )