Govt invokes ESMA to ban strikes by paramedical staff

Order To Be in Force For 6 Months

Bhubaneswar: The state government on Monday invoked the Orissa Essential Services (Maintenance) Act (ES- MA) prohibiting strikes by paramedical staff, including nurses, pharmacists, Class III and IV employees, among others, in order to ensure that medical services are not disrupted.

It is necessary to prohibit strikes in the form of cessation of work by nurses, pharmacists, paramedics and other Class III and IV employees, including contractual employees in services connected with maintenance of medical services in the government hospitals and dispensaries in district headquarter hospitals, sub- divisional hospitals and others," read the notification issued by the home (special section) department. The order shall remain in force for a period of six months, it added.

Those staff working at community health centers, primary health centers, municipality hospitals, ESI hospitals, medical college hospitals, specifically Acharya Harihar Regional Cancer Centre, Cuttack, Regional Spinal Injury Centre, Cuttack, jail hospitals and police hospitals will be also covered Tion further said. under the prohibition.

"As per Section2(b) of the Orissa Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1988, cessation of work by a body of persons employed in any essential service acting in combination or a concerted refusal or refusal under a common understanding of any number of persons who are or have been so employed to continue to work or to accept employment and includes unauthorized absence from duty in pursuance of a common understanding among the persons who unauthorizedly absent themselves from duty or under the direction of any other person or persons," the notification read.

In exercise of the power conferred by sub-section (1) of section 3 read with section 2 of the Orissa Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1988 (Act 9 of 1992), the state government does hereby prohibit strikes in the afore- said services, the notification further said.