KOCHI: The nurses community protesting against the low wages are hoping for a positive outcome at the meeting called by Labour Minister T P Ramakrishnan with two leading nurses associations in Thiruvananthapuram on Tuesday. The minister will meet the representatives of the Indian Nurses’ Association (INA) in the morning and the United Nurses’ association (UNA) in the afternoon.
Liju Vengal, president of INA, said the strikes and protests would be withdrawn the moment the state government implements minimum wages for the nursing community. “We still render our services in hospitals. Despite this, our need for this struggle is being questioned and misinterpreted by people from several quarters. We are hopeful of a positive response from tomorrow’s meeting (Tuesday) or else we will have to go ahead with the Secretariat march on July 8,” he told Express.
Nurses have been on an indefinite strike in five districts, including Thiruvananthapuram, Thrissur, Malappuram, Ernakulam and Kozhikode, for the past six days. The nurses are taking part in the protests by adjusting their work hours. Some are reported to be facing harassment from hospitals for taking part in the protest. “Our fight is not just to regulate the mandatory regular pay of Rs 20,000 put forth by the Supreme Court in 2016, but also for our safety,” said a nurse, who was participating in the strike at the High Court Junction in Kochi.
“Even after working in back-to-back shifts, most of the hospitals fail to provide safe travelling arrangements for women nurses, especially during night shifts,” she said. “We are also facing financial issues in managing the strike on our own. The funds for the strike are being collected from us. However, we are facing shortage of funds due to the prolonged protests. But, taking into account the hardships we have been facing, nothing can pull us back,” said Stalin Varghese, who works at the Little Flower Hospital, Angamaly.
Labour Minister T P Ramakrishnan has called a meeting with two leading nurses associations in T’Puram on Tuesday.Nurses have been on an indefinite strike in five districts for the past six days.
Settle nurses’ stir immediately, Oppn leader writes to CM
Opposition Leader Ramesh Chennithala has asked Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan to immediately intervene and end the ongoing indefinite strike waged by private hospital nurses demanding a salary hike. In a letter to Pinarayi Vijayan, the Opposition leader feared the crisis in the state’s health scenario owing to the fever bout will get aggravated in the wake of the indefinite stir of nurses.
Ramesh said the nurses are given just H400- H500 as daily wages, when even construction workers are earning up to H1,000. He also referred to the Supreme Court order in January 2016 directing the state government to form a state-level committee to improve the service conditions and wages of nurses at private hospitals. “The Chief Minister should take the initiative to end the indefinite stir,” Ramesh said.
AIYF asks govt to hold talks with nurses
THE government should urgently hold talks with the nurses to resolve their issues, demanded AIYF state president R Sajilal and secretary Mahesh Kakkath on Monday. In a statement issued here, the AIYF said private hospitals are witnessing major human rights violations. Though demands for wage hike are on for a long time, the issues raised by them have not been addressed. The government should take urgent steps to accept the just demands by the nurses, the AIYF said.