The Madras high court has continued the charge memos issued to 70 government doctors who had joined in the recent week-long strike for a salary hike.

On Friday, Justice M Dhandapani gave the interim relief to the doctors, while admitting a batch of pleas moved by doctors, including S Syed Naser an assistant surgeon in government PHC (public health centre) in Salem, challenging the memo.

Thejudge posted the pleas to November 18 for further hearing and said considering the facts and circumstances of the case, the same issues raised in all the other petitions, all the cases areto be posted along with the similar cases. Counsel for the petitioners are also submitted in which the very same petitioners were already transferred to faraway places apart from issuing charge memos. Interim stay on the charge memos are already issued.

The central government has fixed basic salary of Rs 56,000 for government doctors in the government medical hospitals which has been revised in the seventh pay commission at various hospitals in Tamil Nadu, according to petitioners. They alleged that the state government had not followed the guidelines fixed by the Union government and has refused to increase the salary.

From October 25, they resorted to indefinite strike in a peaceful manner inside the hospital premises as the government has failed to respond to the representations of the doctors given through their associations.

On November 1, on the assurance given by the government they had withdrew the strike and joined work immediately. But, the 70 doctors who participated in the strike were issued charge memos and are transferred to other places.

Source: ET Healthworld