Kerala govt. brings out draft notification revising minimum wages of employees in State’s private health sector

Close on the heels of the strike by Kerala’s nurses in the State’s private health sector, demanding a hike in basic pay to ₹40,000, the government has now issued a draft notification revising the minimum wages of all classes of employees in the State’s private health sector.

According to the draft notification issued by the Labour and Skills department, the proposed revised wages of Staff Nurse GNM/ BSC/ Registered ANM Special Grade (10 years experience)/ EMT/ Ambulance Nurse will range from ₹25,450 to ₹30,800. When it comes to the top group of Nurses Manager (MSc. + 5 years experience/ BSc. + 10 years experience)/ Nurses Director/ Nurses Officer, the proposed revised basic pay ranges from ₹27,330 to ₹33,080.

The draft notification states that the proposal will be taken up for consideration on or after two months from the date of publication of the notification.

Nurses to strike from Monday

However, United Nurses’ Association (UNA), which led the nurses’ strike on Wednesday demanding a unified wage structure for nurses in the private sector as well as a basic pay of ₹40,000 on par with the basic salary received by nurses in the public health sector, has declared that the UNA will not back down from its demand for a basic pay of ₹40,000

On Wednesday, when UNA, the largest association of nurses in the private sector, led the nurses’ strike, it had spared one-third of its members from participating in the strike so that ICUs and emergency wings in hospitals are not affected.

UNA has now threatened to go on a total and indefinite strike from Monday, as the proposed wage revision is nowhere near what the nurses are demanding. It said that the strike would now be waged in front of the hospitals.

Those hospitals where the management has agreed to pay a basic wages of ₹40,000 would be spared from the strike. UNA also demanded that these managements enter into an agreement with the UNA regarding the wages

Healthcare delivery in private hospitals across the State would be affected if the nurses go ahead with their proposed strike.