Gigi Jacob had seven years of nursing practice in India and abroad when she came to join the KVM Multi-Specialty Hospital in Cherthala, a couple of years ago. However, Gigi’s profile of an experienced nurse was not enough to land her a decent remuneration package. She had to join the hospital as a ‘temporary nurse’.
“The hospital management had been appointing nurses as trainees, on temporary and voluntary basis, by paying paltry salaries. For the first two years, I had to work as a temporary nurse, renewing my contract every six months. Although, they later made my appointment permanent, the salary remained meagre. After all these years and experience, my last drawn salary was ₹10,600,” she said.
“The working condition was so bad that nurses were forced to work on a two-shift system with long working hours,” she added.
Today, Gigi is among 113 nursing staff who have been staging indefinite strike and dharna in front of the hospital for the past 156 days. Among their demands are better pay and working conditions, along with reinstating two of their colleagues sacked by the hospital management.
Not even minimum wages
According to the nurses, the hospital has not been paying even the minimum wages announced in 2013. They said that the working hours often extended to 10 hours during day shifts and 14 hours on nights. Most of the nurses were not eligible for PF, ESI and other benefits and were often fined for silly reasons, they said.
Meanwhile, the KVM Hospital management said that the nurses under the UNA were engaged in spreading falsehood. “We have been paying our nursing staff the minimum wages and other benefits, as stipulated under the wage protection scheme. But nurses went on strike under the banner of the UNA alleging that they were denied minimum wages. The UNA has a hidden agenda and they want the nurses to continue their strike to collect money from the nursing community across the world ,” said V.V. Haridas, Director and Chief Medical Officer, KVM Hospital.
Mr. Haridas said the hospital was functioning normally.
