Lakeshore nurses end strike

KOCHI: The nurses at Lakeshore Hospital withdrew their strike on Sunday after the hospital management agreed to their demand for a pay hike.However, the stalemate at the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College Hospital (MOSCMC), Kolenchery, continued after the hospital management failed to arrive at a consensus on the demands put forth by the nurses.The stir at Lakeshore Hospital ended as the talks between Labour Minister Shibu Baby John, the hospital management and the striking nurses yielded positive results. “The proposals put forward by the government have been agreed upon by the management and as such, the nurses have decided to withdraw from the strike,” the minister said.It was decided that freshers would be given a basic salary and those with an experience of one year, would be paid `11,750. Nurses having experience of two years would get `12,750, while those with three to five years of experience would be paid `13,750 and for those with an experience of over five years, the salary would be `14,750.Another decision taken at the meeting was regarding the nurses recruited from other hospitals. Those with an experience of 1-3 years would be given a salary of `9,000 and for those with experience of over three years, the pay would be `10,000.“A decision has been taken in this regard, but the formal announcement would be made only after a week,” said Remya, the Lakeshore unit secretary of United Nurses Association UNA).According to the Minister, the management had assured that no action would be taken against those who had participated in the strike.Meanwhile, at Kolenchery, the dispute is yet to be resolved. All India Nurses Welfare Association Kolenchery unit president Reena Reji said that the talks with the hospital management had failed, as they did not accept the proposed wage-scale.“The management is not willing to discuss the major issues. We will continue with the relay strike,” she said, adding that though they were ready for a compromise on the salary-scale put forth by the Labour Minister, the management was not willing to play ball. “We will take a decision on the next step of the agitation on Monday,” she added.