KOZHIKODE: The 150-odd nurses at Malabar Medical College Hospital and Research Centre (MMC) at Modakkallur have decided to go on an indefinite relay hunger strike from Wednesday after talks failed.
District labour officer (DLO) called talks as their agitation against the dismissal of two trainee nurses and the subsequent suspension of United Nurses Association (UNA) unit president N. Sreemesh Kumar entered 15th day on Tuesday.
“At a meeting held in the DLO’s chamber few months back, the hospital management had agreed to disburse bonus and uniform allowance and allowed nurses to wear plainclothes till the disbursal. But the hospital dismissed the two for not wearing the uniform. They also filed an attempted murder case against Sreemesh for questioning this,” UNA unit secretary C.P. Mithun Raj said.
As they went on strike, he says, suspension orders were sent to 29 to their homes by registered post.
The protesters say there were issues over the provident fund, ESI, minimum wages, bonus and maternity leave. “The management's PF contribution was due since 2008,” said Jishin, another nurse. But principal Dr Akbar Sharief V.S. says the dismissal of Mr Sreemesh was for misbehaving with the superintendent.
“They went on strike without sparing the causality and ICU services. That move turned to be detrimental. Not only management, but patients and bystanders also suffered by that unkindest move,” he said.
The principal was reluctant to comment on the issues concerning bonus and other allowances and dismissal of nurses. The talk called by DLO Vipin Lal K.V. at the behest of the district collector got stuck on revoking the suspension of Sreemesh.
