Nurses give govt a month to resolve grade pay issue

After a meeting with Finance Minister Harpal Singh Cheema, the United Nurses Association (UNA) has decided to give the government one month to deliberate on their long-pending demand for a Rs 4,600 grade pay for the nursing cadre.

Union leaders said the meeting was held in a positive and constructive atmosphere. Senior officials, including the Special Secretary of the Finance Department, the Director of Medical Education and Research and other departmental representatives, also attended.

Union president Ramanjit Singh Gill stated that the Finance Minister had constituted a special committee comprising the Principal Secretary of the Medical Education and Research Department, the Special Secretary of the Finance Department and the Director of Medical Education. The committee has been directed to submit a time-bound report within one month to resolve the issue.

Gill said that Cheema assured the association that the government was seriously considering the nurses’ long-standing and justified demand and that a positive decision would be announced soon.

He added that the association made it clear that if the issue was not resolved within the given timeframe, the union would be forced to intensify its agitation. The association has decided to continue its peaceful protest for the next one month in line with the government’s assurance. However, if no progress is made after that period, the union warned it would launch an indefinite strike to press for its demands.