Kerala Nurses’ Assn Moves SC, Says Pvt Hospitals Trying To Wriggle Out Of Implementing Revised Salaries [Read Application]

Amid growing resentment in nurses’ associations over meagre salaries, the Kerala State United Nurses’ Association on Monday moved an application before the Supreme Court for impleadment in the matter concerning revision of salaries of nurses in private hospitals in Kerala.

The impleadment application comes close to the stay granted by the apex court on Friday on implementation of recommendations of a committee formed by the government to suggest revision in salaries and working conditions of nurses.

The association said it should be heard before any order is passed in the matter titled Kerala Private Hospital Association Vs State of Kerala.

The Kerala State United Nurses’ Association is one of the largest nurses' associations with 3.8 lakh nurses as its members.

It said: "The private hospital association is trying to get away from implementing the recommendations of Ministry of Health & Family Welfare (Nursing Section) in compliance of the Supreme Court judgment passed on January 29, 2016, by filing the instant petition before the court."

It is to be noted that in pursuance of the Supreme Court order, a minimum wage committee was set up by the government which had, on October 19, recommended revision in salaries of nurses in private hospitals.

The state government was asked to notify the revisions in a gazette, which included Rs 20,000 salary for a nurse in a less than 500-bed hospital.

When the recommendations were not implemented, the nurses went on strike.

The strike was called off on assurance from the hospitals that the recommendations would be implemented soon, but nothing was done.

The private hospital association then moved the Supreme Court and got a stay.

In its impleadment application, the nurses’ association said "the nurses may be called 'angels in white' but in their own country, their treatment does not befit the name".

"The minimum salary of most of the nurses working in private hospitals in Kerala is so that it would embarrass them to compare it with even a daily wage labourer. While immigrant labourers earn anywhere between Rs 700 to Rs 900 per day, the nurses in their own backyard get as low as Rs 300 to Rs 400," it said, adding that while nurses earn Rs 6,500 when they join as trainees, their counterparts in Europe make anywhere between Rs 1 lakh and Rs 4 lakhs.