‘No Pay No Work’: State NHM employees to cease work

Kohima, February 25 (MExN):  Employees of the National Health Mission workers in Nagaland under the banner of National Health Mission Employees’ Association, Nagaland (NEAN) will resort to cease-work if the state government fails to release funds on or before March 5. The health workers have not been paid salaries since December 2019.

According to a statement from the Association on Tuesday, the State Government received the first installment for the Financial Year 2019-20 from the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India, on December 24, 2019. However, the fund is still lying at the State Treasury despite directives that the funds must be transferred to the State Health Society (NHM) account within 15 days of receipt. 

This adversely had impacts on the performance of NHM programmes and activities, which in turn has affected the output leading to disincentives from the GOI, it said. 

As and when fund is received, funds for remuneration component should be reserved for a minimum of at least 3 months, so that employees get their due salary on time, it added.

Additionally, the NEAN noted that the delay in release of State Share (10%) affects the timely tranche release of fund from GoI to the state and appealed the state government to adhere to the mandated financial norms.