India Contractual Nurses Under National Health Mission Call Off Strike
Finally, the contractual nurses on Wednesday called off their strike after holding a discussion with senior health officials of the state. They will join duty from Thursday onwards, said the association.
Contractual nurses working under National Health Mission (NHM) had started cease-work agitation since December 18. They staged dharna at the Lower PMG here demanding regularization of their jobs and hike in grade pay.
Around 2000 staff nurses of the NHM had started strike under the banner of Odisha Nursing Employees’ Association. When the association called off the strike on December 21, the NHM contractual nurses did not obey it and sat in dharna again.
On Saturday, NHM mission director Shalini Pandit had issued show cause notice to the contractual nurses, who did not join their duty. She had threatened the nurses to terminate them from service if they do not join their duty within a day.
The ultimatum lapsed by Sunday afternoon, but several nurses continued their stir. At last the government called the agitators on Wednesday and discussed about their demand. After holding meeting with senior health officials, the nurses called off the strike.
“The state government has assured us to solve all our issues within three months. If it fails to fulfill our demands, we will hit the street for our cause,” said Rajlaxmi Parida, executive president of the NHM contractual nurses association.
But the contractual nurses of SCB medical college and hospital and Sishu Bhawan, who had staged dharna at the lower PMG here since Tuesday, postponed the strike till
January 31. The nurses under the banner of the Government Contractual Nurses Association were demanding for regularization of their jobs after six years of their joining and hike in grade pay.
“We discussed with NHM mission director and other health officials about our demands. They assured us for a positive solution within a month. If they fail to fulfill our demands, we will again stage dharna,” she added.
A senior health officer said the discussion with nursing associations were fruitful. “We will examine the issues and start process to solve their issues,” he added.
Hemanta Pradhan, timesofindia
