Cut from a different cloth: LRH Class-IV employees reject shoddy uniforms

Complain hospital provided cheap material; attire now mandatory

PESHAWAR: Lady Reading Hospital Class-IV employees clearly prescribe to the age-old saying of “clothes make the man” as they refused to wear what they call substandard uniforms.

The orders may have come from the very top through the board of governors, but the employees would rather not lower their standards or compromise on dignity. The board of governors issued directives that all Class-IV employees must wear proper uniform and ordered the fabric be supplied to the workers. However, the staff rejected the material due to its inferior quality.

“They [the administration] supplied the fabric after three years and that too of poor quality,” Ghulam Hussain, an LRH employee said. He added even though the amount was deducted from their salaries, authorities failed to provide the now-mandatory clothing all this time.



Hussain said employees flatly refused the current uniform of the fabric purchased by the contractor. “If they want us to wear it, the quality of the fabric has to be better.”

He said it was a joke to expect people to wear cloth meant for summer in winter.

Fork it over

Hussain said staffers decided to demand an allowance instead to buy a material of their choice.

He pointed out the administration collected over Rs3,600 from the employees in deductions for the uniform on an annual basis. “They provide Rs3,200 to nursing staff and they look perfect. Why isn’t the same hand dealt to us?” Hussain questioned.

“A majority of employees from other ranks worked without a uniform” and this, according to him, was completely against the code of ethics. He stated 1,224 employees were working at the medical facility and were provided an allowance, thus all of them should be in uniform.

When asked, LRH Focal Person Dr Ghulam Subhani acknowledged there was an issue with the quality. However, he added since a decision to enforce the wearing of uniforms was taken by the BoG at a meeting last week, it would soon bind employees to follow orders.

“The employees met the BoG chairman in the auditorium and agreed to use the fabric,” Subhani claimed. He added the administration stressed on maintaining uniforms for all staffers including doctors, nurses and others as required. He said the material was supplied according to the demands of the employees.

Subhani advised disgruntled employees to convey any concerns to relevant authorities and stated the BoG chairman had given assurances that all matters would be resolved. “The administration has been focusing on maintaining the code,” the focal person concluded.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 5^th, 2016.