Health Minister C. Vijaya Baskar on Wednesday said showcause notices issued to striking contract nurses would be withdrawn once they returned to work on Thursday.
The striking nurses were informed during the detailed talks held with them on Tuesday that the State government was sympathetic to their demands and that they would be regularised in a phased manner, Mr. Vijaya Baskar said in an interaction with reporters here. The contract nurses went on strike demanding service regularisation.
The Minister said the government had accepted 90% of their demands during the talks and added that the striking nurses had asked for a day’s time to report to work as they had come from various districts.
The Minister said he held talks with 32 representatives of the striking nurses from various districts in the presence of senior officials for over three hours. The government had accepted A majority of their demands . “We have given time to the nurses till Thursday to return to duty,” Mr. Vijaya Baskar said. Following the talks, which were held in a cordial manner, the nurses informed the media on Tuesday that they had withdrawn the strike. Out of the 9,533 nurses, who went on strike, only 1,000 had not returned to work stating that they were not clearly explained the outcome of the talks, the Minister claimed.
The government was keen to ensure that the public and patients did not suffer due to the strike. Alternative arrangements were made to ensure that works did not get affected.
