Bhopal: MP Nurses' Association members back on duty after High Court calling the strike 'illegal'

BHOPAL: MP Nurses' Association members joined duty on Thursday after the high court order calling the strike 'illegal' and instructing nurses to join duty. The Nurses' Association clarified that they had joined duty in pandemic times to honour the high court's order. This is a great relief for patients undergoing treatment in various government hospitals.

District president of the MP Nurses Association Kanchana Khaterkar said, "To respect the high court's order, we joined duty and gave time to the state government to consider our demands. If our demands aren't fulfilled within a couple of months, we'll strike work again. The high court, on a PIL over the nurses' strike, had instructed them to join duty and simultaneously constitute a four-member committee for the demands."

Main demands are second grade pay which is given to nurses of other states, three and four increment, abolition of age limit for higher education, amendment of recruitment rules, transfer on deputation be started, pension scheme be introduced, NPS be restored, regularization of nurses recruited in pandemic time, designation of nursing office be call for nurses, honorarium at collector rate be given to students of nursing colleges.

No compromise on demands

"Our demands are still there and weíre still adamant on them. We've given the state government some time. There will be no compromise on our demands. The strike was for fulfilment of our 17-point charter of demands, including pay revision. There are 25,000 nurses on strike in Madhya Pradesh for pay revision and fulfilment of other demands." -Kanchana Khaterkar, district president, MP Nurses Association