Meghalaya: Salaries of Nurses and Grade IV Workers Paid After Six Months

The sad state of governance in Meghalaya was highlighted again as nurses and Grade IV workers who worked through COVID have not received their salaries for the past six months. These workers include drivers, cleaners, and ward attendants, among others.

When asked by East Mojo about the delay in salary payments, Dr HC Laydem, the director of the Department of Health Services (DHS), said that "salaries for nurses, technicians, and other staff who have been working during the COVID-19 pandemic" were disbursed on December 14. However, no reason was provided for the delay in payments.

The employees who were not paid for months said they struggled to manage their expenses without their salaries, with some complaining that they have not been paid since July 2022.

“We have gone to various people over the issue of our salary disbursal but didn’t get any response from any of them. We met the DC of WGH as well, but nothing happened. Our last hope was the chief minister, Conrad Sangma, to whom we wrote in November and even informed in person. However, despite more than a month passing, we are still not being paid our salaries,” said a COVID nurse.

They further mentioned that nothing materialised after they met the Chief Minister and submitted their complaint, adding that the non-payment of salaries has broken their backbone.

“Where are we to pay for our children’s education or for food and groceries? Some of us are the only earning members of our family, and this has caused us so much of strain in our lives. To top it all, the Holiday Season is upon us, and we are completely broke. We dread to think of what will happen if we cannot provide for our family this month,” added another technician.

The situation particularly highlights the government's ineptitude, considering the state has spent thousands of crores on COVID. However, when it comes to paying employees who worked through tough COVID times, the authorities saw a lacklustre attitude.