Contract Healthcare Workers Protest at Hyderabad Hospitals Demanding Wage Hike

Field-level contract healthcare workers staged a one-hour protest at government hospitals across Hyderabad on Tuesday, July 7, 2026, demanding higher wages, timely salary payments, and the implementation of labour laws. The protesting workers, who are planning a mass dharna at the DME office in Koti on Thursday, warned they will launch a full-scale strike and halt essential hospital services if the state government fails to address their grievances.

The demonstration was organized by the Telangana Medical Contract Employees and Workers Union, which is affiliated with the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC). The protest saw participation from various field-level contract staff, including sanitation workers, patient care staff, and security personnel.

According to the union, there are nearly 20,000 contract employees working across the sanitation, patient care, and security wings in various state-run hospitals. For several years, these workers have been agitating for a minimum wage hike to Rs 26,000. Union leaders stated that successive administrative heads have repeatedly turned a blind eye to this demand.

AITUC State Deputy General Secretary M Narasimha criticized the state government's claims regarding salary disbursements. While the government maintains that contract workers are paid on the first day of every month, Narasimha stated that sanitation, patient care, and security workers in government hospitals are still waiting to receive their salaries.

Apart from the salary delays and wage hikes, the union is demanding the strict implementation of the Contract Labor Act, which includes providing workers with 23 statutory annual leaves. The workers are also demanding the payment of one month’s salary as a bonus, in line with the provisions of the Bonus Act.

If the Telangana government does not address these long-pending issues immediately, the union warned of a major escalation. Following the scheduled protest at Koti on Thursday, the workers plan to halt essential services and initiate a hospital-wide strike.