Over 300 health workers under a government project staged a sit-in yesterday at the Directorate General of Health Services in Mohakhali, demanding payment of their arrears and confirmation of their jobs.

They plan to resume their protest today, according to two participants.

Protesters said their demonstration disrupted services at some of the hospitals where they work.

The health workers, appointed under the Covid-19 Emergency Response and Pandemic Preparedness (ERPP) Project, began their protest around 9:00am.

Around 3:30pm, they moved their sit-in in front of the DGHS director general's office after receiving no response from officials.

In early 2020, the government initially recruited 393 health workers to strengthen healthcare services during the pandemic. Later, more medical officers, nurses, and technologists were hired under the ERPP project, increasing the workforce to 1,154. Currently, 1,004 health workers are employed under the project, two protesters said.

"But we have not been paid since January. The project is also ending in June, so we demand assurance that our jobs will be made permanent," said Main Uddin, one of the protesters.

An ERPP project official said the health workers were paid through World Bank funding, which ended in December last year. Since then, they have not received salaries.

"DGHS and the project authorities have recommended paying their salaries from the government's allocated project funds until June, when the project will end formally," the official said, wishing anonymity.

The matter is pending with the finance ministry, he added.

Abdur Rahman, another health worker, said they called off yesterday's protest after the DGHS director general assured them he would discuss the issue with the special assistant to the chief adviser for the health ministry today.

"But we will return to the DGHS office from tomorrow [today] morning until our demands are met," he said.

This correspondent could not reach DGHS DG Prof Abu Jafor for comment.