Critical care and emergency care services in some major private hospitals in Kerala were disrupted between March 9 and March 13 after nurses led by the United Nurses Association (UNA) launched an indefinite strike seeking a hike in their wages and other benefits. The agitation has since been temporarily withdrawn after a Kerala High Court directive.
Why were the nurses striking work?
Exhausting working conditions and poor pay packages have been among the concerns raised by nurses in private hospitals in Kerala for years. A change happened in 2012 when a large number of nurses joined hands for fair wages and a decent working atmosphere. The UNA, founded by M. Jasminsha, was at the forefront of those protests. Though “repressive” actions by managements were reported from many places, the nurses came together in most private hospitals to collectively bargain for their rights. The government intervened, expert committees were constituted, and the wages were revised in 2013, and then again in 2018.
The UNA is now demanding another wage revision citing the rise in cost of living and salary disparities, among other things. They claim that while government hospital nurses receive around ₹60,000 a month, including basic pay and allowances, their counterparts in private hospitals are paid less than ₹20,000 for the same work. They also seek a better staffing pattern to reduce workload, better patient-caregiver ratio, and an end to arbitrary lay-offs, allegedly against those involved in the union work. According to UNA members, up to 30% of the nursing staff in major private hospitals are appointed on ‘locum’ (temporary) basis who do not get any benefits or even casual leave or sick leave, leave alone other benefits.
How did the present agitation begin?
The UNA first conducted a token strike in over 400 private hospitals across various districts on February 21 demanding that their monthly basic pay be revised to at least ₹40,000. On March 4, they again went on strike. Thereafter, only one-third of the nursing staff reported for duty in various departments in hospitals. The UNA claimed that the State government had “turned a blind eye” towards their plight. However, on March 8, the government issued a draft notification revising the minimum wages of all classes of employees in the private health sector.
According to the draft notification issued by the Labour and Skills department, the proposed revised wages of staff nurse will be between ₹25,450 and ₹30,800. For the top group of nurses’ managers and other senior posts, the proposed revised basic pay ranges from ₹27,330 to ₹33,080.
The UNA, however, was in no position to relent as it claimed that the proposed revised salary was “just over a thousand rupees more” than the pay scale implemented in 2018. The association then called for an indefinite strike from March 9.
Meanwhile, a section of private hospital managements reportedly reached an agreement with the UNA. The strike was then withdrawn in their institutions. A majority of the managements in Kozhikode, Kannur, and Wayanad, and some in Ernakulam and Thrissur, however, refused to oblige. Though the nurses claimed that bare minimum staff had attended to work in these places, the hospital managements and doctors alleged that the services in emergency care, critical care and neonatal care were disrupted. Some hospitals had to stop admitting new inpatients. Non-emergency surgeries were postponed. In Kozhikode, the Kerala Private Hospital Association (KPHA) even urged the district administration to take steps to shift their patients to government hospitals. The UNA staged demonstrations outside hospitals and the Kozhikode District Collectorate. It was also alleged that some of the striking nurses were manhandled by representatives of the managements.
What is the stand of hospital managements?
The KPHA has squarely opposed the indefinite strike calling it “illegal” and refused to implement any wage hike. Its functionaries, including president Hussain Koya Thangal, claim that prior notices were not served before launching the agitation. The association also filed a petition in the Kerala High Court seeking a directive to the authorities to take appropriate action under the Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1968, and the Kerala Essential Services Maintenance Act, 1994, to declare hospital services as an essential service and take necessary steps in public interest to ensure that “strikes and disruptive activities” affecting hospital services are prohibited.
The UNA functionaries, however, say that they are not adamant on their demands and are willing to negotiate.
What did the Kerala High Court say?
On March 10, the court directed the Kerala government and the State Police Chief to take steps to ensure that the functioning of hospitals is not obstructed or disrupted in any manner in the wake of the agitation. The court took note of the gravity of the situation and the potential impact on the right of patients to access timely medical care and asked the authorities to ensure that free and unobstructed access to the hospitals is maintained at all times. No blockade, intimidation or interference of any nature is permitted at or near the hospital premises, the court said.
On March 13, the court asked the UNA to defer the strike till March 19 and ordered talks at its mediation centre on March 17. Following this, the UNA has temporarily withdrawn the strike. Meanwhile, more hospitals have reportedly reached agreements with the UNA and the strike has been called off there. According to sources, over 400 hospitals have now struck a deal.
However, the UNA has said that it will relaunch the strike if there is no progress in the mediation efforts. With the Assembly elections scheduled for April 9, some of the UNA members have even threatened to “act against politicians who do not support their cause.”
Published – March 16, 2026 02:15 pm IST
