AIIMS Nurses’ Union announces indefinite strike

The All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) Nurses Union has gone on an indefinite strike over unfulfilled demands, pending for a long time. The demands also include those with regard to the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC).

Critical patients have been left in the lurch, as emergency services at AIIMS Delhi have come to a standstill, despite Randeep Guleria, director, AIIMS Delhi appealing to the nurses to return to work. Around 5,000 nurses went on strike on December 14, seriously hampering patient-care services.

Guleria had claimed that the union had put forward 23 demands and almost all of them had been met by the administration and the Government. One of the demands is to do with an apparent misinterpretation in the fixation of the initial pay under the Sixth CPC, as alleged by the union.

Meanwhile, the nurses on strike allege that none of their demands been met by either the Government or the administration and issues have remained unresolved for the past six months.

Multiple meetings were held between the AIIMS administration and the nurses’ union, according to Guleria, in the presence of the economic advisor of the Ministry of Health and Family Welfare. The only issue remains with the Sixth CPC, as it has been replaced by the Seventh CPC, which is still in the process of being implemented after multiple meetings.

Since the nurses are demanding an increase in wages, the Government will treat it as a fresh demand and has asked the Department of Expenditure to look into the matter.

The nurses’ union has also demanded abolishment of gender-based reservation in the recruitment of nursing officers and contractual appointments. They are seeking cadre restructuring and better hospital accommodation too.