Telangana hospital contract workers stage protest in Hyderabad, demand ₹26,000 minimum wage

Hundreds of sanitation, security and patient care workers employed on contract in government hospitals across Telangana staged a protest in Hyderabad on Tuesday, demanding that their minimum monthly wage be raised to ₹26,000. The current wage of most contractual workers stands at ₹15,000. 

The demonstration saw workers gather in Koti and hold a prolonged sit-in outside the offices of the Director of Medical Education (DME) and the Telangana Vaidya Vidhana Parishad (TVVP). Demonstrators raised slogans and pressed for a range of demands, including abolition of the agency-based employment system, direct payment of salaries through a government corporation, provision of national, festival and earned leave, and a one-month bonus for hospital workers.