Kannur: The nearly two-month-long strike by nurses at six private hospitals in Kannur is set to end after Koyili Hospital on Wednesday agreed to sign the wage settlement that had already been accepted by the other five hospitals in the district.
The breakthrough came hours after nurses affiliated with the Indian Nurses Association (INA) intensified their agitation by staging a protest inside the hospital premises and blocking the movement of Medical Superintendent Dr P K Gandharan Nair, alleging that the management had refused to take a decision on signing the agreement.
According to the INA, the Koyili management agreed to sign the settlement before the District Labour Officer on Thursday, July 16.
“We held discussions with the hospital management, and they have agreed to sign the same agreement accepted by the other private hospitals. Until the agreement is formally signed before the District Labour Officer, we will continue our protest outside the hospital building,” said E A Mohammed Shihab, state general secretary of the INA. He, however, described Koyili management’s new stance as “positive”.
Shihab alleged that the hospital superintendent attempted to provoke the protesters during the demonstration by trying to snatch a lathi from a police officer after nurses blocked his movement.
The strike, which began in mid-May, was launched by nurses at six private hospitals demanding implementation of a minimum monthly salary of ₹40,000 and other service benefits.
On Tuesday, representatives of Dhanalakshmi Hospital, Speciality Hospital, KIMS Hospital, Fatima Hospital and Ashirvad Hospital signed a settlement agreement after conciliation talks convened by the district administration in the presence of Kannur MLA T O Mohanan and District Collector P Vishnuraj. Koyili Hospital was the only management that did not sign the agreement at the time.
The nurses then shifted their agitation to Koyili Hospital, launching a round-the-clock sit-in protest after alleging that the management had backed out of the settlement. Wednesday’s assurance from the management is expected to bring the prolonged dispute to a close.
