Unhappy over the management’s “callous” attitude towards their demands, over 120 nurses and other technical staff at Kempegowda Institute of Medical Sciences (KIMS) in the city, who are on a strike for the last 18 days, intensified their protest on Thursday.
Tension prevailed at the institute when they gheraoed Rajya Vokkaligara Sangha president Appaji Gowda on Thursday. Reiterating their demand seeking regularisation of services, they turned down the terms being offered by the management.
“In the melee, at least two nurses fainted. Some were pushed and pulled by the police. We will bring this to the notice of the Human Rights Commission,” said Praveen, one of the protestors. He said the staff would start an indefinite hunger strike from Friday.
However, members of the Sangha, who met on Thursday, decided to continue with the current pay structure – Rs. 16,000 for nurses who have served more than three years, Rs. 14,000 for those with two years’ service and Rs. 12,000 for others.
Mr. Gowda, who termed the protest as uncalled for, said, “Although a 750-bed hospital requires only 350 nursing staff, we have over 670 nurses. Their demands are unreasonable, especially when the institution is running under loss.”
‘Their demands are unreasonable, especially when
the institution is running under loss’
