Officially non-existent unions continue to manage employee affairs; Did health department serve wrong info to RTI ?

Kasmir Monitor: Srinagar: Thursday, 07 January 2016.

In contradiction of government’s response to an RTI that there exists no employees’ unions in health department, the employees have been running their unions in various hospitals of the Valley.

The government in a recent RTI response said there exists no employees union in Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar and its associated hospitals. However, the employees in various hospitals have been issuing statements and displaying notices using paper of their union.

One such example is the G B Panth Hospital Srinagar, where some Medical Employees Federation G B Panth Hospital recently issued a notice that was also displaced on the notice board of the hospital.

Similar notices are also found on notice boards in SMHS Hospital Srinagar and various hospitals of Kashmir despite the authorities of these hospitals having denied of having any such unions.

The incorrect information given to any RTI is in violation of the Jammu & Kashmir Right to Information Act 2009 (J&K RTI Act 2009) and the concerned officials could also be slapped monetary penalty.

“The employees are issuing statements and pasting notices on the notice boards of the hospital but the government is misleading the people while replying RTI saying no such unions exists there,” said a senior medico of SMHS hospital said.

“If these unions are not registered then how do authorities in these hospitals allow employees to place notice on notice boards,” he said.

He said many employee unions are currently active and manage employee issues at higher level including meeting with the concerned cabinet ministers.

Public Information Officer of Government Chest Diseases Hospital Srinagar says the hospital doesn't have any elected union leader at present. Similarly, no employee-union exists in GB Panth Hospital Srinagar, Government Nursing Home, LD Hospital Srinagar, Govt Psychiatric Hospital Srinagar, SMHS Hospital and various other associated hospitals of GMC Srinagar.

In Indian Systems of Medicine J&K too, no trade union is registered in the department.

In the reply, Directorate of Health Services Kashmir also confirms that no trade union is registered as per records available with it.

But despite that the leaders of these ‘employees union’ as per press statements have been meeting government representatives and resorting to protests against their demands. Whenever there are any issues between government and employees, the authorities have invited leaders of these unions, which as per official documents do not exist anywhere.