The Erode District Medical Department Employees’ Union, affiliated to the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), has urged the State government to revise the wages of contract housekeeping and security workers engaged in government hospitals, alleging that the existing outsourcing contracts are based on an “illegal” reduction in minimum wages.

In separate representations sent via e-mail to Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay and Minister for Health, Medical Education and Family Welfare K.G. Arunraj, AITUC State secretary and district president S. Chinnasamy sought immediate intervention to amend the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC) outsourcing contracts and restore wages based on Government Order (2D) No. 24, dated March 2, 2018.

The union alleged that the previous government, despite opposition from trade unions, issued Government Order (2D) No. 21, dated May 26, 2025, revising the minimum wages for employees of private hospitals and nursing homes by reducing the dearness allowance component. While the basic wage was marginally increased, the reduction in dearness allowance effectively lowered the overall minimum wage by about ₹3,000 a month, it claimed.

According to the representation, TNMSC adopted the revised wage structure when awarding outsourcing contracts for housekeeping and security services in approximately 350 institutions under the Directorate of Medical and Rural Health Services in 2026. The union alleged that in Erode district, the wages specified in the contract were ₹3,430 per month lower than the minimum wages notified by the District Collector.

The union reiterated its demand that the State abolish the outsourcing system in government and government medical college hospitals, recruit workers directly and regularise around 35,000 contract employees engaged in housekeeping, security and allied services.

Pending implementation of these demands, it urged the government to withdraw Government Order (2D) No. 21 of 2025, revise the TNMSC contracts based on the 2018 wage notification with retrospective effect, and fix a minimum wage of not less than ₹26,000 a month for all non-permanent and contract workers in government hospitals.