Jubilee Mission Hospital nurses’ strike ends after conciliation talks
The strike by a group of nurses at Jubilee Mission Hospital, led by the United Nurses Association (UNA), ended on Tuesday (August 4) following a
The strike by a group of nurses at Jubilee Mission Hospital, led by the United Nurses Association (UNA), ended on Tuesday (August 4) following a conciliation meeting convened by the Labour department. The decision to withdraw the strike was arrived at during talks between representatives of the nurses’ union and the hospital management held in the presence of Thrissur district labour officer C. Vinod Kumar.
The management also signed the settlement agreement, assuring that no retaliatory action would be taken against employees who had participated in the strike. The meeting was a continuation of discussions held in recent days under the leadership of Ernakulam Regional Joint Labour Commissioner D. Suresh Kumar. Thrissur City Assistant Commissioner of Police T.R. Rajesh also attended the talks. As per the agreement, all striking nursing staff will be reinstated in phases and posted to departments similar to those in which they had worked earlier.
The management also agreed to revise the tenure of contract appointments for nursing staff, with appointments initially being made for one year, followed by renewals for three years and subsequently five years. It was further agreed that, except for those on general shift, all nursing staff would follow a 6-6-12 shift pattern. Both the management and the union agreed to continue discussions, with the Labour department acting as mediator, to resolve the remaining issues, including the demand for a wage revision, through mutual negotiations.
The talks were attended by management representatives Benny Joseph Neelayankavil, Father Justin Poozhikunnel and Joshi Paul, and union representatives M. Jasmine Shah and Lijo Joseph.
The BriefWire