Ambulance workers allege salary cuts despite HC order; GVK told to pay Rs 15,000 take-home
Ambulance workers allege salary cuts despite HC order; GVK told to pay Rs 15,000 take-home
Shimla, Sept 13,
Himachal Pradesh Ambulance Workers Union has accused GVK-CMR, the agency that operated the state’s 108 ambulance service, of making deductions from workers’ salaries despite a High Court direction mandating a minimum Rs 15,000 monthly take-home salary.
The issue came before the Himachal Pradesh High Court in an execution petition filed by Puran Chand, with the court examining whether GVK Emergency Management and Research Institute had complied with its January 2020 order. The court, in its judgment dated September 11, held that the company’s interpretation of the order was incorrect.
The High Court had directed GVK to enhance the take-home salary of pilots and Emergency Medical Technicians (EMTs) to Rs 15,000 per month with effect from January 20, 2020. The amount was subsequently corrected from Rs 1,500 to Rs 15,000 through an order dated January 10, 2020.
GVK maintained that it had complied by fixing the employee’s total cost to company at Rs 15,000, after which statutory contributions and other deductions were made. According to its affidavit, the amount actually disbursed was around Rs 11,545 a month.
The court, however, noted that the company’s salary chart showed a monthly salary of Rs 15,000 but gross salary of only Rs 12,908. It held that statutory deductions could not be counted as part of the mandated take-home salary.
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The court has directed the company to pay Rs 15,000 take-home salary per month from January 20, 2020 to January 30, 2021 within two months, with the excess amount already paid to be adjusted in accordance with pending writ petitions.
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