Nurses’ association refuses to end strike, demands written assurance
Agitating National Health Mission (NHM) staff nurses in the state refused to call off their four-day old cease work strike over various demands on Friday after a split occurred among them and a group demanded written assurance from the health minister Pratap Jena.
The fraction of Odisha Nursing Employees’ Association which decided to carry on the strike maintained that the general secretary of nurses’ association Pravati Mohanty’s assurance to Jena to end the strike might have taken under pressure.
“The state government had given similar assurances to us on several occasions in the past and is still to work on it. It is just dilly-dallying the whole issue. We would call of our strike only after the health minister gives a written assurance to fulfill all our demands in a time bound matter,” said an agitating nurse.
Jena met the members of the nurses’ association on Thursday and assured them of looking into their demands after consulting with general administration and finance department. He had assured to redress the grievances in next 2-4 months.
Nurses of SCB Cuttack, MKCG Berhampur and VIMSAR Burla are on strike since December 18 demanding regularisation of jobs, equal pay for equal work, end of contractual employment, and promotion among others.
