Click to play videoMumbai: One of the most popular ambulance services in Mumbai, Dial 1298 for ambulance, is in troubled waters.
Their trouble is that a orchestrated a strike from the operational staff has resulted in the service being cancelled.
MNS leader Sadashiv Mate takes the charge that the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena (MNS) sponsored strike head on. He says if MNS does not voice concerns, who in Mumbai will?
The bright yellow ambulances hurrying patients to hospitals was a common sight in the city. But for the past five days, the staff of the Dial 1298 ambulance service have refused to work and the ambulances are parked longer than they run.
A striking employee said, "We work round the clock and do 24-hour shifts. We don't have proper protective gear like gloves or face masks."
The management alleges that the workers were incited to strike by the MNS. They say some of the drivers even brough MNS workers to the company's office and that they allegedly threatened officials.
Director of Dial 1298 Ravi Krishnan said, "The two employees who let these unruly elements into the office were sacked and that's when the illegal strike started demanding we take them back. They cannot call in parties like this and indulge in criminal action and expect to be re-instated."
The MNS says it is fighting for the employees and will not back down. The service was begun in 2002, the service responded to 40-50 calls a day.
While these ambulances stand desolately in the parking lot, the workers who run them are crowding at the gates.
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