More than 90,000 contract employees of all government hospitals across the country have threatened to stage a nationwide strike if their demands for a pay rise and welfare benefits are not met.

Speaking yesterday at Nakhon Ratchasima university, employees' leaders said all workers at 875 government hospitals and public health stations would stop if their fourpoint demands were not met by next month. Kanokphorn Suksanit, a protest leader, said the strike would not be carried out in a way that would affect treatment of patients or threaten their health.

One demand calls for immediate payment of monthly allowances for those working at hospitals in the three strifetorn southern provinces.

Such payment was made until three years ago but ceased due to a legal loophole in Public Health Ministry regulations. The employees also demanded their base salary be raised from the current Bt6,800, and that an annual raise be granted each year to cope with inflation and high commodity prices.

Dr Suphan Srithamma, a senior ministry official, said a special monthly allowance could not be paid to the employees unless a Finance Ministry rule was amended. He said he believed no employees would stage a strike because their yearbyyear contracts could be revoked for their "misbehaviour."

He said a number of allowances, including overnight tasks for contract employees, would be approved sometime this week.