Nurses’ strike enters 19th day

KOCHI: The nurses’ strike at the Mar Baselia Hospital, Kothamangalam, entered the 19th day.  As many as 154 nurses are protesting at the hospital, of which 42 are permanent staff.  The hospital has sent termination letters to the permanent nurses who had joined the strike.
 The nurses accuse the hospital of practising illegal bond system, heavy duty hours and underpayment.
 “The Supreme Court had given orders to put an end to the bond system but they continue to take in the nursing students on bonds.
 They keep students on a bond for an year, after the completion of which they are sent away.
 Also, they are not paid even the minimum wages during the bond period,” said T B Mini, advocate and legal adviser of Indian Nurses Association (INA) which organised the strike at the hospital. Another key area of protest is excessive working hours.
 The nurses are demanding three shifts in the place of two and also, a reduction in the number of working hours.  “The nurses are made to work for 12 hours in two shifts.
 This needs to stop. The general criterion in hospitals is only 8 hours of duty,” Mini added.
 Meanwhile, the hospital secretary Shibu Kuriyan said that according to the court order the bond system is not valid for the students who joined the hospital after June 2, 2011.
 The students who joined the college earlier had joined the college agreeing to one-year bond and therefore, they are being asked to complete the period.
 “The students who had completed their bond and had worked in the hospital till March 30, 2011, have been made permanent,” he said.
 However, the students want the cancellation of the bonds that were made before June 2011.
 “The termination letter has been given to the permanent nurses who are involved in the strike as they have not informed the authority about their participation in the strike.
 Some of them have responded and given us an explanation,” he added.
 The management said that they are planning to change the shift timings.