The nurses of Regional Institute of Medical Sciences, Imphal, a Government of India undertaking, had agreed not to go ahead with their ceasework strike. An understanding to this effect was reached between the RIMS authority and representatives of the nurses after a protracted talk at Jubilee hall on Tuesday.
Sources said that the nurses have been demanding promotion according to seniority contending that this was the practice some years ago. However, Prof S. Sekharjit, Rajendra, the Deputy Director (Administration) and E. Debendra Meitei, the chief accounts officer, convinced the nurses that it was done before RIMS was brought under the Union Health Ministry.
Now the promotion of the nurses who belong to Scheduled Tribe or Caste cannot be hampered since the reservation is a Constitutional provision. The Minorities Commissions and others shall not take it lightly when the reserved seats of the scheduled caste and tribe nurses are usurped by the general category nurses.
Sources said that the RIMS authority had made preparations to meet any eventuality. Several serious patients had been admitted to some wards and the doctors were worried about them since the nurses had threatened to launch strike.
