AKHS Chitral employees on strike again
ChitralToday that the employees had started their protest about a week ago after the administration of the organization did not fulfil its promise of accepting their three main demands even after seven months. He said the non-cooperative attitude of the AKHS management towards the resolution of their genuine demands had forced the employees to go on the strike once again. In September 2015, about 90 staff members from 18 primary healthcare centers and two secondary care hospitals in upper Chitral, majority of them women, had gone on a strike for over two weeks. This time around, however, employees in lower Chitral have also joined the strike, said the employee. But his claim could not be confirmed independently. The employee said the three main demands of the protesters were: a proper service structure for the employees, compensation in terms of extra-payment for more than eight hours daily duty or on a public holiday and bringing their salary package at a par with the government healthcare departments and other ISO-certified organizations. He said the employees had ended their strike in late September last year after the AKHS through its member in Chitral promised that the employees would be compensated for the long duty hours with immediate effect while the remaining two demands would be met in six months. However, after seven months, not even the first demand regarding the extra-duty hours was met. This forced the employees to go on a strike again in the beginning of April. “After we ended the strike last year, no one even bothered to meet and discuss the matter with us,” the employee said. Because of the strike, the patients coming to the health centers were facing lots of hardship but for this only the administration is responsible, he added.]]>
Private non governmental organizations might have revolutionized in social sector in Chitral but unfortunately they also promoted corruption in society. Due to lack of merit, these NGOs especially the big names such as AKRSP and SRSP fell into laps of undeserving people who in turn bribed everyone, from their own bosses to those who tried to find faults with them in order to survive without being put to accountability.
Can anyone deny the fact that SRSP used its funds for political purposes ie promoting particular political personalities. AKRSP local officials also worked as political activists during elections while the NGO misused its funds and vehicles for its own vested interests.
Looking at the lavish use of resources of the NGOs, common people always wonder why there is no accountability by those who provide the funds to these NGOs?
AKHSP is a non government organization (NGO), which is working for the betterment of the people of rural areas of Chitral. The problem is not with the AKHSP, problem starts when the people are expecting services like government from NGOs.It is not the responsibility of AKHSP to provide the basic facilities of the people, it is the government who is responsible for all these.If the staff members are not satisfied with the benefits of AKHSP, they should go for the NTS and other competitive exams to join the government,who is responsible for the services which they demand.
thank you all for taking time for your nice notes…no doubt the AKHSP is an ISO certified company of “AKDN.with towering repute globally..problem do occur with any dynamic institution..this is also true that compared to govt AKHSP is offering much low salary but staff have never ever compromised the high quality of care…quality care is in their gene.this is understood.
kindness
@Dr Karim: Dr Karim mosh ma dust mosh mager horo luwan kar dari bo khafa hotam. Ki milao hoi luwan bo shokhor koi, ishtikhur, faqat phuri beer, insafo luwan doi, the ta mareer, yaqeen kore hash sareir insan nola faqat farishta..he left his govt job and joined AKHS because they offered him good package. I am sure this was the reason you quit the job, my dear doctor? Fair enough. You draw salary in six digits, right? You left govt job because they didn’t give you a lucrative package. You could not bear your daily expenses and this was the reason you switched. And now, when you can hardly meet your expenses despite getting “buki paisa, paza tip rupaya’, how can you blame a poor LHV, a qualified nurse, or an aged aaya who are holding protest for their genuine rights? Tu lakh rupaya gani akhti no bosan, e nachar LHV josh hazara kicha kori guzara koi, tu lu det maten?? Mo korur royan majbur, for God sake. Kisi ki bad dua se dero. Woh suna he na Allah aur mazlum k beech koyi deewar nehi hota, God forbid, ager kisi ne bad dua di phir yun samaj lo, you lost everything. Dr Zafar di ma dust, bo jam dust, hot di awa haya luwo tan dom, mo kurur brar ghareeb royan tang mo korur, hes bo shum korum, ager Khudai ki dostai, awa shot chauman ki pisa ka bachat koko no boni, Allaho poshi buktoor.
Dear Editor! There are some fools who use irresponsible and dirty language against the commentators.I am one of the commentators and have no record to be a” mischief monger” or have ever tried tarnishing of any AKDN institution or having “self interest” while commenting on some news items of your paper. I need full address of Mr. Shakir who has used highly objectionable language against the commentators. I want to sue this fellow.
I agree with Mr Aseer that some people are trying to become loyal more than the king perhaps to return the favour to AKHSP top guys in Chitral. Their newborn love for AKHSP in the wake of the protest could be to compensate for favours to them in hiring sometimes in the past or in near future as some papers have been bestowed with advertisements for some vacancies – may be for blacking out the protest story. They also talk that govt is running hospitals by taking loans but they do not know that the same AKHS use to offer best packages when the community had no money even to buy a desprin. Why the packages were so high then if this is the case? People left their govt jobs and joined AKHS just for the sake of good salaries. But after thirty years down the lane the AKHS stands exactly from where it had started off.
The reason is not the money. The reason incompetence. The salaries of managerial staff have increased 100 times. But a poor nurse or any other low grade employee is still crying over the salary which her predecessors used to draw in 1980. If AKHS has no money at all, why the AKHS staff are dying for AKHSP?
The demand so of the staff of Aga Khan Health Service Pakistan (AKHSP) are the genuine one. Why an organization which is claiming to be an ISO certified is exploiting its employees.
There is no grading system for employees at AKHSP. The salaries are about half of the government employees and about 1/10th of the INGOs and the UNO salary structure. For example, at AKHSP, a nurse draws about eighteen thousand rupees monthly salary while at the government the package is about forty thousand rupees, generally. Now look at the length of duty: A nursing staff of the AKHSP delivers duty empirically for 24/7 and there is hardly a reliever at her disposal. She can’t go to her abode after rendering a duty of eight hours; she lives the life of AKHSP health center around the clock. She is not able to live life but languishes at the harshest mercy of the capitalism pursuing her career at the AKHSP health center. Despite all this ordeal of torture she is not entitled for any remarkable financial compensations. This is cruelty and exploitation in its worst form. And for an organization which has been established by a noble and most generous, world renowned philanthropist the HH Aga Khan, this is very unbecoming to violate and deny the very basic rights of its employees who are the backbone of the organization.
At this moment in time this is imperative on the part of high management of the AKHSP to accept their failure of resolving the issue cordially. If the AKHSP is too much poor to raise the salaries at par with the government and other standard organization it has no right to claim decency and quality vis-a-vis the protocols of the ISO: “Say what you do” and “Do what you say”! And last but not least: Why the organization is paying such large sum of salary to its puny type of high managers and why has it hired an army of supporting officials at its regional offices, despite their corruption and incompetency galore? Obviously the organization is faring well for certain bunch of people who are the favorites and cronies of its crew members at high echelons of managements irrespective of meritocracy!
This is unfortunate, that some mischief mongers are deliberately tarnishing the image of institution. AKHS.P being non profit organization always recognizes its employees as valuable assets and trying its best to motivate them and strives to pay them within available resources However, some vested interest without knowing the background are commenting on the situation in nonsense manner. AKHS,P has already met the just demand of the employees and is in process to revise salary of the employees after market survey. It is also not just to expect to revise the salary structure at par with the govt. Every sensible citizen of Pakistan knows, that govt. is doing so by taking loan from donor agencies at exorbitantly high rate. AKHSP is not pakistan govt. it cannot do so without passing on the impact to community as it serves under privileged people of Pakistan.
Neither it treats it employees as bonded labour. They can sign off AKHSP by giving one month notice, if they are not satisfied with salary and working condition in AKHS,P instead of creating mayhem and maligning the institution.
MUMTAZ BHAI, this is the only proper way of getting their right. . . . Don’t fool people especially the poor Ismailis by using Imams name and referring his institutions as sacred institutions. . . .That is rubbish idea. . I am ismaili too..and i strongly condemn the inequalities practiced in his institutions. . . People should be given proper wages. . Same kind of issues happened with AKES teachers…..Many of them were expelled when they demanded their rights . . .Don’t use same old tactics of “”Imam o narazgi boi”” . Humanity first.
Mr. Mumtaz! Do not try to teach us rules and policies. The issue is not a new one. The AKHSP Officials do not keep their word and try to drag on an issue with false promise . If you have some memory, then remember the senior professionals who have left the organization after gaining experience and the Org: has been busy filling the vacancies with fresh staff. This is called contingent arrangement which adversely affects the beneficiaries. Strike is the last resort which the employs are compelled to use for their rights. Remember, the public supports the employs not the employer.
This is not appropriate way to start strike and threat organization to fulfill demands. Being a Chitrali we had experienced staff of the some other AKDN agencies have gone through strike in past but issues were solved through mutual consensus. Each and every organization has a policy and that is the road map for staff development and career progress for staff and for successful survival of the organization and employees it is critical to strictly follow the policy. If an employee doesn’t feel comfortable with his or her job then he/she has right to leave the organization but not to create disturbance with in the organization.
Look at the lame excuses surfacing after the story of AKHSP high handedness was exposed by the media. The nurses, LHVs, clerks, etc. could be seen cursing themselves for joining AKHSP. The chokidar who has donated his precious land worth millions of rupees for the sake of a job. You know how much a chokidar is drawing after passage of twenty eight years: only Rs10,000 and giving 24 hour duty.
A nurse remains on call 24/7 and her salary is Rs14,000. In short you cannot find a single person associated with the organization since its creation drawing Rs28,000 after passage of 28 years. Is this what you call justice?
The general manager, other staff at regional office in Chitral are given facilities such as land rovers worth Rs3 million, while a LHV is unable to afford a two time meal.
An aaya who has no teeth in her mouth is hardly drawing Rs10,000 while her colleagues in govt job are enjoying pensioned life.
The people from the far flung areas of the valley have assembled in Booni and if the management did not pay heed to their plight, the issue will not stop here – phir bath bahot dur talak jayegi, bahot sare razon se parda uth jayega, phir hoga dama dam mast qalander so abi waqt he plssss stop this game to please your masters sitting in Karachi, my dear Mr GM. There are some doctors who have foregone their govt jobs after the management promised them that they will be given lucrative packages. But now, ten doctors working at BMC are also flexing muscles against the poor salary structure as a good number of them have already gone to Saudi Arabia in search of earning some money.
If timely action is not taken, the consultants which AKHSP has hired will soon recommend to cut the salaries of the managerial staff or let all of them go.
100 % agree with Afzal Aman, beautifully narrate the reality.
I would like to request you all please collect authentic information from reliable source before giving your valuable comments on the subject. AKHS,P in the process of developing long-term strategy and that would address all the genuine concerns of the employees. I have contacted one of the responsible person of the AKHSP and it is clear that more 80% of the genuine concerns of the staff have already been addressed except the demand of salary enhancement that is not possible for the organization to fulfill the demand overnight. The staff of AKHS,P further added that a consultant has been hired to conduct market survey to provide solid justification to enhance the salary package of the staff; however, that definitely would take time to complete the process. some of the staff just trying to politicize the issue and this is not fair.
The Chairperson of the Aga Khan Health Services Pakistan had been briefed regarding the problems of the AKHSP’s professional staff, Chitral, during a visit to her office some time in February 2014, and as per her desire the issues were communicated to her through a letter dated March 1,2014.
After the strike, mentioned in the report, I was told that the AKHSP have addressed the issues of its professional staff, and the news had given us satisfaction. Now, it became known to us that the AKHSP administration has, again, failed to fulfill its word and the staff has gone on strike again. It is an alarming situation and demands practical and prompt action by the high-ups of the AKDN.
Heads should roll now!!
this is not good for such a prestigious organization. time and again we hear of strike and protest only for salaries but they are not heard by the organization. why the authorities of akhs do not solve their issue. if their demands are not genuine, action should be taken against them for creating hurdles in patient care. if they are right in seeking facilities, they should be given.
How shameful it is to see employees of AKHS Chitral being intentionally deprived of their genuine rights by the incompetent mismanagement. This is the extreme of exploitation. I simply could not comprehend why AKHSP is punishing these people who are the backbone of the organization.
Look at the irony, the professional people are paid hardly in few thousand while those considered as the MOST INCOMPETENT on planet earth associated with the human resource department of AKHS Chitral are drawing salaries in six digits.