Health sector employees threaten massive strike over allowance cuts

Health sector employees across the country, barring doctors, are poised to stage an island-wide strike on Tuesday, January 16, as announced by trade unions representing the sector.

Leadership from 27 trade unions within the health domain has coordinated this massive strike, citing dissatisfaction with the government’s recent decision to exclusively increase the Disturbance, Availability, and Transport (DAT) allowance for doctors.

The primary demand behind the impending strike is a plea for equity, as the non-doctor staff members insist on also being granted the DAT allowance. 

Last week, healthcare services were severely disrupted when paramedical and supplementary health services’ unions initiated a series of token strikes, causing disruptions in various hospitals across the nation.