Newmai News Network
Shillong | September 23
The Meghalaya Emergency Management and Research Institute Workers’ Union or MEMRIWU has threatened to intensify its agitation while accusing the GVK-EMRI (Emergency Management and Research Institute) Management in Meghalaya and the state government of failing to meet its demands.
The MEMRIWU took the decision following the end of the two – month deadline served to the EMRI management and the state government on Monday.
Informing that the union had called off its strike after the state government constituted the High-level committee on July 22 and assured to address to the various demands made by the workers including the enhancement of their salary, manpower, leave and issue related to transfer of the employees besides others, President MEMRIWU, Roypar Synrem, however said that the management had instead deducted the July salary of 70 EMRI workers who went on strike from July 19-21 and also deducted the August salary of all the EMRI workers excluding the 15 workers who are not with the union.
“The Management failed to adhere to the status quo and instead deducted our salaries while the government has failed to intervene in the matter,” he said while informing that the salary deducted of the workers by the management ranges from Rs 3000 to Rs 5000.
“We demand that the management gives an official clarification on these deductions,” he added.
Synrem maintained that the Union also demands that the state government immediately takes over the emergency service on its own and does away with the EMRI management and also restore the employment of all the existing EMRI workers.
Meanwhile an executive member of the Union, Sabita Sangma said that the plight of the EMRI workers in Garo Hills is the worst owing to the lack of proper equipment.
Informing that there are 54 EMRI field staff members covering the entire Garo Hills, Sangma said, “We don’t even have the oxygen storage facilities in the 14 ambulances that are in pathetic condition which has even resulted in some casualties.”
She also alleged that the management had denied the workers various applications for leave.
