Bhubaneswar, March 22: Teaching and healthcare was severely affected at the Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research (NIRTAR) following an indefinite strike by the employees.

About 153 employees, including the paramedical staff, pharmacists and nurses have stopped work in the departments, but the emergency service unit is still functioning. The employees have been demanding government-approved pension, continuation of Hospital Patient Care Allowance like other central government institutes, which is pending since February 2010, and implementation of the Modified Assured Career Progression.

The employees are also demanding fixing of salary after revision, change of recruitment rules, implementation of cadre restructure, which is pending since the fifth central pay commission orders, and filling up of vacant posts, pending for seven years.

“We regret the inconvenience caused to the patients, but we were left with no option. We had voiced our demands before the authorities on March 7, 10, 11, 14, and 15 but there was little impact. The authorities wrote and told us that they had no jurisdiction to fulfil the demands,” said general secretary of the association, Chitta Ranjan Mohanty.

The secretary general of All India Health Employees and Worker Confederation, Ram Kishan, reached the campus today and addressed the employees. The offer association of Swami Vivekanand National Institute of Rehabilitation Training and Research has also passed a resolution to give their moral support to the agitating employees.