Outsourced nurses of SGPGI in Lucknow warn of stir
The nurses are sore as those among them who are reporting back on duty after maternity leave have not been allowed to join by the outsourcing agency
Lucknow The outsourced nurses of Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences have warned of agitation if the outsourcing agency continues to deny joining to nurses reporting back on duty after maternity leave.
To note, there are around 400 outsourced nurses in the PGI, out of whom about 10 are reporting back after maternity leave. All these nurses are members of the PGI Nurses Association which is backing their demand.
A nurse who was not given the joining by the officials of XEAM Ventures Private Limited (outsourcing agency) said, “I have not been allowed to join after returning from maternity leave, nor have I got the salary of my maternity leave period, which I am entitled to get. They cannot sack me because of maternity leave. This is a punishment for becoming a mother.”
Most of the nurses complained that they were treated in a rude manner whenever they approached officials of the company for resuming duties. “They cannot deal with women employees in such a way,” said another nurse on condition of anonymity.
President of PGI Nurses Association Seema Shukla said, “It is the right of the nurses to go on maternity leave. If they are denied joining, it is like showing disrespect to a woman who has become a mother. We will agitate if the nurses are not given joining and salaries for the period of maternity leave, as they are entitled to it.”
However, Pushkar Srivastava, manager of XEAM Ventures Private Limited said, “We can give joining to the nurses when the posts are vacant or any other nurse goes on maternity leave. We are manpower suppliers. We cannot create posts.”
He said, “Regarding the payment of salaries of the maternity leave period, there is a process which has to be followed. The Employees State Insurance Corporation (ESIC) has to pay ₹1.15 lakh for the period of maternity leave.”