Chandigarh: GMCH nurses to strike work on November 19 over unresolved issues

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, November 2

The GMCH Nurses Welfare Association has decided to observe strike on November 19, citing several unresolved issues. If their grievances remained unresolved, they warned of going on an indefinite strike.

The association issued a notice of strike after a meeting at the office of the Director-Principal, GMCH on September 25 to discuss the issues concerning nursing professionals. During this meeting, the GMCH administration had promised a follow-up meeting to address their concerns. However, a month has passed without any such meeting, prompting the association to believe that the administration is not serious about addressing their concerns.

In the strike notice, the association highlighted that the termination of the services of two nursing officers, Rakesh Kumar Yadav and Ankit Singh, was ‘disproportionate’. The association demanded an immediate withdrawal of the punishment and their reinstatement without any service break. The association also demanded the withdrawal of an ‘arbitrary’ show-cause notice issued to a former president of the body and suggested forming an independent committee to investigate the matter.

The association called for the creation of promotional posts in line with staff inspection unit (SIU) norms, as hundreds of nursing officers have been on the same position for the past over two decades.

Over 350 nursing officer positions have been vacant for over 10 months, leading to a significant strain on the existing workforce. In view of this, the association urged the administration to fill these posts to ensure quality patient care.

The association expressed concerns over a recent directive that required nursing officers to personally visit the doctor’s duty room each time to give information about patients. The nurses’ body requested for the withdrawal of the directive. Further, the association demanded that nursing officers working on contract basis be allowed to resign without the obligation to pay one-month notice or salary.

The association sought the removal of restrictions that limited the utilisation of earned leave and required the exhaustion of casual leave. The association demanded a bonus for nursing officers who worked during the Covid-19 pandemic.

It has also been demanded that all nursing personnel be provided with gazetted and national holidays.

Main demands

• Reinstatement of two sacked nursing officers
• Filling of over 300 vacant posts
• Allowing contract nursing officers to put in papers without giving a one-month notice
• Removal of restriction on availing earned leave
• Allowing gazetted and national holidays

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