Andhra nurses seek regularisation of jobs, equal pay for equal work 

It’s time govt intervened to implement our demands: APSGCOSNA member 
Protestors stage a demonstration demanding salary hike and regularisation of jobs at GGH in Vijayawada on Monday I Prasant Madugula
Protestors stage a demonstration demanding salary hike and regularisation of jobs at GGH in Vijayawada on Monday I Prasant Madugula

VIJAYAWADA: Members of Andhra Pradesh State Government Contract and Outsourcing Staff Nurses’ Association (APSGCOSNA) staged protest before the State Covid-19 Hospital on Monday demanding that DME provide them equal pay for equal work. Among the other demands, the protestors demanded Directorate of Medical Education (DME) to regularise their services and give them sick leaves if they were infected. 

An association member Abdul Irfan said in 2016, the DME recruited more than 1,000 staff nurses and nursing officers to assist the doctors at various government hospitals. Since then, the staff with B Sc Nursing/ M Sc Nursing/General Nursing Midwifery Nursing qualifications are being paid `22,500 per month. 

“Almost five years have passed and we are being paid the same salary and those who have been newly recruited, with the same qualifications, during March 2020 for Covid-19 duties are being paid `34,000. We took the matter to notice of DME and Health Minister Alla Kali Krishna Srinivas Nani several times, but to no avail,” he said.  

Another member Anusha said that a total of 77 staff are working at State Covid-19 Hospital here. “So as not to interrupt the Covid-19 treatment given to the infectees, only those who have a day off or working in the evening shift are taking part in the demonstration.”  Moreover, “when staff nurses and nursing officers were infected with the virus, the authorities instead of considering the 14-day quarantine period as sick leave, cut our salary. It is high time the government intervened and implemented our demands”,  Anusha said.

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