Pokhara, January 27

Regular health services at Manipal College were disrupted today after the hospital employees took to the streets demanding pay hike.

The agitating staffers halted health services till 1:00 pm today, while the college administration sent all medical students home on account of the agitation.

Manipal Employees’ Coordination Committee Chairman Bikram KC said they had partially disrupted the services at the hospital through sit-ins and picketing. Earlier, the committee had halted services for only an hour.

All Nepal Health Workers’ Association Manipal Unit Chairman Ramesh Bohora said discussions were under way to figure out future course of their agitation.

After Pokhara Chapter of Federation of Nepalese Chambers of Commerce and Industry and Labour Office Pokhara, among others, failed to settle the dispute, hospital management sought help from trade unions.

Representatives of various trade unions held discussion with the agitating hospital staffers. “They have asked us to find a way out,” Bohora said.

KC said they were forced to stage demonstrations after multiple talks held with the concerned authorities failed to yield any positive outcome. KC said the hospital management had failed to implement its decision to raise the employees’ salary on par with the government scale.