Thiruvananthapuram: Simmering discontent among Kerala’s nurses over their work conditions and remuneration has come out into the open again, with nurses in Thrissur district deciding yesterday to go on an indefinite strike.
Following the failure of talks between the district collector and representatives of various nurses’ associations, the nurses have decided to launch their indefinite strike today. On Monday, nurses had alleged that police had unnecessarily used force in dispersing a protest meet, in which some of their colleagues were injured.
The latest round of trouble began at the Mother Hospital, and when the management could not resolve the issue, nurses from other hospitals in Thrissur district went on strike pledging support to the nurses of Mother Hospital. In the talks held yesterday, the hospital management offered to discuss the nurses’ demands on November 17, but the nurses would have nothing short of a decision yesterday itself.
The United Nurses’ Association, the largest organisation of nurses, had warned that they would be forced to go on strike if the parleys failed, and when no result ensued yesterday the association promptly announced that nurses in Thrissur district would be on indefinite strike from today.
The fresh round of nurses’ unrest in Thrissur was sparked by the suspension of 15 nurses, on charges that they had not followed the directions of the nursing superintendent and prevented some of their colleagues from working.
Services in many hospitals, including emergency services, were affected following the strike call. Local media quoted E.K. Ramachandran, district secretary of the association of hospital managements as saying that the new patients were not being admitted into many hospitals.
