Talks fail to end nurses’ strike in two Thrissur hospitals

Talks held by the managements of Jubilee Mission Medical College & Research Institute and Amala Institute of Medical Sciences and the United Nurses Association (UNA) on Sunday failed to break the deadlock over nurses’ wages, triggering tense scenes outside the Thrissur archdiocese headquarters.

The hospital managements maintained that an immediate wage revision was not feasible, but said they would abide by any salary revision announced by the State government.

UNA president Jasmin Shah said the nurses would not withdraw their agitation if justice was not delivered. The association warned that the protest would be intensified by bringing in more nurses in the coming days.

Nurses affiliated to the UNA have been on strike for the past three months in front of the two hospitals, demanding that the minimum monthly salary be raised to ₹40,000.

The meeting on Sunday, chaired by Thrissur Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath, was attended by representatives of the two hospitals and the UNA. The managements said they were already paying wages in accordance with and, in several cases, above the minimum wages notified by the government.

Archbishop Thazhath said he would facilitate an urgent meeting with the Chief Minister, the Labour Minister and other government authorities. He expressed hope that the government would take a final decision on the wage issue within a month and said that efforts would be made to expedite the process.