Hyderabad: NIMS top brass wary of nurses' call to strike

Punjagutta: With the entire nursing staff threatening to boycott duties from Saturday, NIMS administration is trying to address the issue on a priority basis. NIMS Director Dr Manohar constituted an in-house panel comprising heads of various medical departments to engage and negotiate with the nurses' representatives.

Accordingly, Dr D Sree Bhushan Raju and other members of the panel held discussions with the nurses, who were wearing black badges in protest every morning for the last 11 days. The nurses were urged to withdraw their boycott call and give a month time for fulfilment of demands. However, the nurses wanted their demands to be fulfilled first and only then they would cancel the November 7 protest. The demands of nurses include payment of Covid-19 incentive, payment of Modified Assured Career Progression arrears, payment of EL encashment for the year 2019, conversion of EPF to GPF, promotions for staff nurses, cadre review of nursing college staff, etc. some of which have been pending for last two years.

NIMS Nurses Union general secretary S Vijaya Kumari stated that their demands would not cost the NIMS more than Rs 2.8 crore amount which is available in NIMS account. We have been given time-bound assurances in the last two-three months that were not met and hence, the union does not want to take any chances again. Let our demands be met and then only the strike call will be withdrawn, Vijaya Kumari said.

Meanwhile, the NIMS staff rued over delayed salary payments of October, which were not credited till Wednesday evening. This was the first time that salaries were delayed beyond first, an employee said.