Nearly 3,000 AIIMS nurses go on strike to demand better pay

A government official said that since the demand for salary is not covered under the previous circular, the Central government has agreed to view it as a fresh demand.

Nearly 3,000 nurses working at the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) went on an indefinite strike from Monday onwards seeking higher remuneration due to an “anomaly” in the implementation of the previous pay commission’s recommendations.

The AIIMS administration said that the patients were being managed by resident doctors, senior faculty members and staff. (Mohd Zakir/HT Photo)

As per Harish Kajla, president of the AIIMS nursing union, there was an anomaly in implementing the sixth pay commission’s recommendations and after several meeting their demand had been accepted by the health minister last year. However, nothing changed on the ground.

The AIIMS administration, however, claimed that the anomaly was “perceived” by the nurses and the sixth pay commission committee members and the finance department had clearly said that there was no anomaly in the implementation.

“Unfortunately at this time of a pandemic, the nurses have gone on a strike. The nurses union had put in 23 demands, almost all of which were met by the institute or the government. One demand of a perceived anomaly as per the sixth pay commission remains. Multiple meetings have been held, even with one of the committee members who drafted the pay commission recommendations. It has been explained to the nurses union that their interpretation is not correct and beyond the purview of the notification,” said Dr Randeep Guleria, director, AIIMS.

He added, “At this time, when the country is going through so many hardships, when a lot of people have had to accept pay cuts and loss of their jobs, the nurses are asking for a pay hike. It seems very inappropriate.”

“Today, some contract nurses were hired. AIIMS is known for the quality of treatment and the administration wants to leave the lives of people in the hands of nurses on contract now,” said Kajla.

The AIIMS administration however said that the patients were being managed by resident doctors, senior faculty members and staff. “We have around 4,000 nurses at AIIMS; the senior nurses – of ranks of assistant nursing officer and above – have not gone on strike. Nearly 3,000 level I and II nurses are on strike. We have put more senior residents on duty to cover for the striking nurses. The senior faculty and other staff members are managing the patients,” said a senior official, on condition of anonymity.

Further, the administration has stated that the strike is in contravention of a Delhi high court order that says no employee or staff can cease work for any reason or shout slogans and hold demonstrations within 500 metres of the campus.

Meanwhile, a government official said that since the demand for salary is not covered under the previous circular, the Central government has agreed to view it as a fresh demand. “This will therefore have to be examined as a fresh demand. It was also stated that the Ministry is open to placing the fresh demand before appropriate authorities for sympathetic consideration and therefore the AllMS Nurses Union may be requested to reconsider and withdraw the call for any strike, especially during these trying times, due to the national priority of effectively tackling Covid-19 pandemic,” read an order dated December 14 by Union health secretary Rajesh Bhushan.