India

Contract Health Staff in Andhra Pradesh Suspend Strike After Talks with Officials

By The Hindu Bureau

The Andhra Pradesh Medical and Health Contract Employees’ Joint Action Committee (JAC) has decided to pause its strike after discussions with health officials on Saturday, October 10. The JAC began a boycott of duties on October 6 because its demands for regularisation of services and payment of gross salaries had not been met, despite several talks with the government. Earlier, the Department of Health, Medical and Family Welfare had agreed to some non‑financial requests from the association, such as ex‑gratia payments to families of contract health staff who died in the line of duty during the pandemic and radiation leave for radiographers. However, the government said it could not grant the chief demands of regularisation and gross salary payment due to the state’s financial situation, prompting the strike. During the Saturday meeting, JAC members met with health officials, including Commissioner K.V.N. Chakradhar Babu, and demanded a 30% incentive based on the existing basic pay of contract employees. The JAC released that officials indicated a special committee would examine this demand. With the positive response, the JAC chose to temporarily call off the strike, stating that its main demands remain unchanged and that the pause allows the government to resolve issues through discussion. All contract staff in the department across the state will resume duties on October 11. Published – October 11, 2026 06:07 am IST