Kerala Govt Issues Notification on Minimum Salary for Nurses, Hospital Managements Oppose

The Left Democratic Front government in Kerala issued the final notification on the revision of minimum wages of workers in private hospitals across the state ensuring a minimum basic salary of Rs. 20,000 for nurses with retrospective effect from October 1, 2017.

More than 68,000 private hospital nurses, members of United Nurses Association (UNA), had decided to go on indefinite strike from Tuesday, but the final notification has prompted them to withdraw the strike call.

Though UNA has withdrawn their strike call, the nurses are not satisfied with the final notification. “There are significant differences between the final notification and draft notification which had been issued on November 16, 2017,” said Sujanapal Achuthan, state general secretary of UNA, while speaking to Newsclick.in.

Allowances, especially of nurses, have been cut down in the final notification. Majority of the private hospitals in the state have beds between 100 and 300. As per the draft notification, a staff nurse who works in these hospitals was entitled to get the salary of Rs. 32,400 a month but now it has come down to Rs. 22,000, Sujanapal pointed out the main differences between the final and earlier draft notification. “Though some benefits have been compromised, still, we are happy with the revised pay package.”

However, the wage revision ensures basic salaries for nurses, who have been classified into six categories, ranging from Rs 20,000 to Rs. 30,000 according to the bed strength in the respective hospitals.

According to the order, staff nurses who work at hospitals with upto 100 beds are entitled to get Rs 20,000 per month for 208 hours of work in three eight hour shifts. Hospitals with 101 to 300 beds are bound to pay nurses a minimum salary of Rs. 22,000 per month and those with 301 to 500 beds are bound to pay Rs. 24,000 per month. Again, nurses at the hospitals that have beds from 501 to 700 beds are granted Rs. 26,000 a month and those with 701 to 800 beds must pay a minimum salary of Rs. 28,000 per month. Again, hospitals with more than 800 beds are bounded to pay a minimum of Rs. 30,000 a month.

Besides, the nurses will get a maximum additional allowance up to 50 percent and administerial staff members will get a maximum allowance of 12.5 percent. The paramedical staff will get a basic pay of Rs 20,000 with 15 percent additional allowances. Also, the general administration staffs will get a minimum wage of Rs 16,000 a month.

Service weightage, dearness allowance and yearly increment have also been ensured to the staff in the revised wage package.

The hospital management said that the final pay package which has been announced by the government cannot be implemented at any cost. The Kerala Private Hospital Association (KPHA), also, plans to move to the Supreme Court.

Earlier, soon after the draft notification was issued by the government, KPHA had moved to Kerala High Court saying that the final notification should not be released soon as the proposed wages were too high. Though they have managed to get a stay, the court had disposed of the petition on April 3. The stay which the KPHA had secured from the court led to a delay in issuing the final notification on wage revision before March 31 as assured by the government earlier.

“If the hospital managements fail to implement the wages as per the government notification, then we will strike and protest against the respective managements till our demands are met,” Sujanapal added.