JIPMER employee kills self

Upset over outsourcing of  services to a private agency, a daily rated employee (DRE) of JIPMER jumped to death from the fourth floor of the pharmacy block here on Wednesday morning.

Jayachandran (33), who had been working as a DRE in JIPMER for the past 13 years, landed on the first floor near the ramp. The fall crushed his head.

Father of two girls aged five and three, Jayachandran was upset when JIPMER outsourced the sanitary and housekeeping services to G4S Facility, a private agency, from September 1. He was one of the 426 DREs who were handed over to the agency. Though the agency engaged them on same wages of `220 per day, the JIPMER Hospital Employees Association and JIPMER Daily Rated Employees Union disagreed demanding regularisation of their services. Working with a private agency would leave no scope for regularisation. The fact that JIPMER retained 301 DREs added to their disappointment.

Around 32 DREs approached the Assistant Labour Commissioner objecting to JIPMER’s decision. These DREs, including Jayachandran, also moved the High Court of Madras. The case would come up for hearing in the HC on September 7, and in the Assistant Labour Commissioner office on September 12, said Baskaran, president of JIPMER Daily Rated Employees Union.  

Meanwhile, hospital authorities including the director T S Ravikumar rushed to the spot to take stock of the situation. They have, however, not made any statement so far.