Nurses strike continues unabated

KOCHI: The stalemate over the nurses’ strike at the Lakeshore Hospital and the Malankara Orthodox Syrian Church Medical College (MOSCMC) at Kolenchery continued on Thursday as both the nursing associations as well as the hospital managements stuck to their stands. The nurses at the Lakshore Hospital have managed to garner support from many organisations and trade unions as the strike entered the fourth day. And at MOSCMC, the talks between the nurses’ union and the management did not take place as the latter sought more time to decide on the demand for salary hike.    The nurses at both the hospitals said that they would not withdraw from the strike until their demands were met. United Nurses Association (UNA) member Joji of Lakeshore Hospital said that the management had not yet come forward for a discussion. He said almost all the nurses, including the head nurses, are taking part in the agitation. On the police protection, that the hospital had secured from the Kerala High Court, he said that the agitation was being conducted in a peaceful manner. “We have been holding protests on the hospital premises and the management or the police did not ask us to shift the venue,” he said. Moreover, nurses from some of the major hospitals had expressed solidarity and also took part in the strike, he said. Meanwhile, the Lakeshore Hospital authorities said that the functioning of the hospital was not affected despite the postponement of a few surgeries. All India Nurses’ Welfare Association, Kolenchery, unit president Reena Reji said that they would go ahead with the agitation as the management was not keen on a compromise. “District Panchayat president Eldos Kunnapally held talks with the management but they asked time till February 9 to study the demand for a salary-hike,” she said.