PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry will organise talks with concession companies at government hospitals to address the plight of contract cleaners, says its minister Khairy Jamaluddin.

       He said the ministry would look into the welfare of these workers, who had played an important role in dealing with the Covid-19 pandemic.

       “We should not underestimate their contributions.

       “They are also part of the frontliners who have been helping the country manage the spread of the virus,” he told reporters after meeting union representatives here.

       Khairy received a memorandum containing the demands of the National Union of Workers in Hospital Support and Allied Services from its president Rozah@Roziah Mohd Hashim.

       Among others, they are seeking an abolishment of the contract system and that Covid-19 allowances be paid to all government hospital workers.

       Rozah said that the union was happy to finally be able to meet the minister yesterday and deliver the memorandum to him.

       The union felt welcomed by the minister and was even more motivated to fight for their rights following the meeting, she said.

       A total of 25 union members took off in a motorcycle convoy from Penang to get to Putrajaya.

       They spent four days on the road, stopping at several hospitals along the way to listen to the concerns of hospital workers before conveying them to the ministry.