Contractual workers at Malda Medical College and Hospital (MMCH) started a cease-work protest on Wednesday, alleging that their salaries were pending for the last five months.

Emergency services continued, but other hospital operations— patient transfers, cleaning and security services — were disrupted, inconveniencing patients and their relatives. There are 135 contractual workers in MMCH.

MMCH authorities, including principal Partha Pratim Mukherjee, medical superintendent-cum-vice-principal Prasenjit Bar, and the state government’s nominee to the Rogi Kalyan Samiti (RKS) Krishnendu Narayan Choudhury, met protesting workers to listen to their grievances and urge them to resume duties.

“We informed them about our dire straits. The agency that employs us at MMCH has been victimising us in many ways. Thirteen co-workers were suddenly removed from work but their dues not cleared,” said Animesh Roy, a contractual worker and protester. “We have not been paid for five months, and our agency has not clarified if our PF and ESI contributions are up to date. We will continue to work in some wards and the emergency department, but not resume work fully till these issues are resolved,” he said.

Mukherjee said they requested workers to resume duties in the interest of patients, but also added that some of their grievances "were valid" and the agency employing them had been contacted.