The AIIMS nursing union went on strike on Monday over wage commission and hiring disputes
New Delhi:
Nurses from Delhi’s All India Institute of Medical Education (AIIMS) called off their strike on Tuesday evening, after a meeting with hospital administration and hours after the Delhi High Court said they could not continue their “indefinite strike”.
Hospital director Dr. Randeep Guleria, who on Monday called the nurses “part of the AIIMS family” and asked them to reconsider their strike, said the administration would immediately hold “several rounds of dialogues” to resolve outstanding issues. .
“From the AIIMS administration side, within this week we will hold several rounds of dialogues to try to resolve their demands. The Ministry of Health will also hold talks and try to resolve this as soon as possible,” said Dr. Guleria.
He also said lawsuits regarding other ministries, a reference to nurses’ concern about the Sixth Committee on Payments, would also be addressed as soon as possible.
“I thank the entire nursing fraternity, which is part of the AIIMS family, for hearing our appeal … to the court … and also for considering the difficult situation of patients, especially during the pandemic, and for canceling the strike and come back to work, “he said.
Nurses at one of the nation’s top medical facilities set up tools Monday and filed 23 lawsuits that included asking for clarity on the pay structure (with reference to the Sixth Pay Commission) and freezing contract hiring.
Dr. Guleria called the timing of the strike “unfortunate” and said the nurses had misinterpreted the rules of the Sixth Committee on Pay. However, a spokesperson for the nurses told NDTV that these demands had been made a long time ago and promised action, but nothing seemed to have changed.
At today’s Superior Court hearing, AIIMS said the strike violated the Labor Disputes Law, as well as an earlier court order prohibiting such action by employees.
A single judge from Judge Navin Chawla prevented the nurses from continuing their strike and asked them to respond to the hospital’s appeals as their demands were being considered.
The strike, which came at a time when the national capital and the country are battling the Covid pandemic, prompted the center to intervene, with the Union Health Secretary citing an order from the Delhi High Court to appeal for do not interrupt nursing work.
Failure to comply with the court order, he said, will be treated as a crime under the Disaster Management Act and the Indian Penal Code, and “action will be taken against violators.”
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