Imphal, June 23: The non-teaching employees of the Regional Institute of Medical Sciences (RIMS) Imphal today stalled functioning of the administrative block for four hours by not allowing anyone to enter their respective offices in protest against delay in payment of May salaries.

The non-teaching employees were on a ceasework demanding immediate payment of their salaries for the month of May.

The Non-teaching Employees’ Welfare Association served the ceasework notice yesterday to RIMS director S. Sekhorjit.

The director is away on an official tour outside the state.

The strike was, however, called off after the authorities started disbursing salaries through the UBI Bank on the campus of the institute at 1.30pm.

The four-hour strike, however, did not affect functioning of the casualty department, outpatients’ department and the operation theatres.

The director in-charge and head of department of micro-biology department W. Gyaneshore said when employees turned up for the day’s duties before 9.30am — the time when office begins — the main entrance to the administrative block where the director’s office is located was found under three huge padlocks.

The officials did not try to break open the locks by themselves. They informed Lamphel police station and requested police to break the locks.

A police team led by officer-in-charge of Lamphel police station Ingocha Singh arrived around noon and broke open the padlocks.

The employees did not enter their offices after their leaders warned that those entering the office and found working would face dire consequences.

As the police were working on the padlocks, the director-in-charge and his team tried to persuade the protesters to call off the agitation as salary would be available at nearby bank within hours, witnesses said. However, the protesters remained adamant till the payment that started at 1.30 pm.

The protesters were also planning to shut down the functioning of the casualty, OPD and OTs if the payment was not made by today.

The authorities maintained that it notified to the employees that because of the start of the new financial year payment of salary for the month of May would be delayed.

The protesters accused the authorities of not pursuing the matter with the Union health ministry as RIMS is a central institute.

This is the second time the functioning of the institute was disturbed in the last one month.

The authorities announced closure of the OPD on May 24 after a militant group had issued threats of attacking the institute.

The group had asked the director of the institute to reach an agreement with it on some undisclosed matter.

Despite the threat, the authorities reopened the OPD on May 26 with security measures by the government.