Una (Himachal Pradesh), Feb 10 Employees working under the Mukhyamantri Nidan Yojana at a privately operated laboratory in Himachal Pradesh's Una district held a three-hour strike on Tuesday, alleging non-payment of salaries for the past two months, government officials said.
Under the Mukhyamantri Nidan Yojana, the state government claims to provide affordable and accessible diagnostic facilities to patients.
However, employees associated with the scheme at the Regional Hospital in Una, said they are facing severe financial hardship due to delayed salaries.
Employees of the privately-run Krsnaa Laboratory, operating within the Regional Hospital Una premises, said they have not received their salaries for December 2025 and January 2026.
Many of them commute from far-flung areas, including the Dulehar region, and said the delay has made it difficult to pay house rent, manage household expenses and support their families.
According to the employees, they repeatedly approached the laboratory management regarding the issue but were given only assurances.
They were informed that the pending salaries would be cleared on Monday, but even after that, no payment was made.
Angered by the delay, the employees announced a work boycott from 9 a.m. to 12 noon.
All staff working under the Mukhyamantri Nidan Yojana laboratories participated in the strike.
The employees warned that if a permanent solution is not found soon, the agitation would be intensified as per the directions of the organisation's state executive.
Una Chief Medical Officer (CMO), Sanjeev Kumar Verma, said he had not received any prior information about the strike.
"I came to know about it only in the morning. However, to ensure that patients do not face any inconvenience, all necessary diagnostic tests were conducted smoothly at the government laboratory of Regional Hospital Una," he said, adding that the hospital administration is closely monitoring the situation.
Narendra Kumar, a laboratory worker, said salary delays have become routine.
"It has been almost a year now. Salaries never come on time and are delayed by two to three months. We have still not received a salary from December 2025. I live on rent and am married, so it is causing me mental and physical stress," he added.
Another laboratory worker, Sanjana, said financial pressure has increased due to additional responsibilities.
"I am also pursuing studies along with my job and have to pay fees. Household expenses are not being met," she added.
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