Nurses affiliated with the United Nurses Association (UNA) continue their protest in front of the Collectorate in Thrissur, demanding a wage hike, despite heavy rain
| Photo Credit: NAJEEB KK
The wage dispute between the United Nurses Association (UNA) and the managements of Amala Institute of Medical Sciences and Jubilee Mission Medical College & Research Institute remains unresolved, with striking nurses shifting their protest to the Collectorate after a discussion failed to break the deadlock.The nurses, who have been on strike for nearly three months demanding that the minimum monthly salary be raised to ₹40,000, intensified their agitation on Sunday by staging a sit-in outside the Thrissur Archdiocese headquarters after talks with the management failed .The discussions, held in the presence of Thrissur Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath, ended without an agreement.According to UNA representatives, Youth Affairs and Sports Minister O.J. Janeesh later contacted the protesters over the phone and sought five days’ time, assuring them that the issue would be discussed with the Health and Labour Ministers and that a decision would be taken after the ongoing Assembly session.Following the assurance, the nurses withdrew their protest from outside the Archbishop’s residence. Early on Monday, District Collector Shikha Surendran, representing the government, held discussions with the protesters at the Bishop’s Palace Road for about 30 minutes, after which they shifted their agitation to the Collectorate.Demands firm commitmentThe UNA said the protest would continue peacefully in front of the Collectorate till July 4 unless a satisfactory solution emerged. The association maintained that it would not withdraw the agitation without a firm commitment on wage revision.Meanwhile, the managements of Amala Institute of Medical Sciences and Jubilee Mission Medical College said they were prepared to implement the revised wage structure once the State government issued the final minimum wage notification for nurses.Managing Directors Fr. Renny Mundankurian and Fr. Julius Arackal said the two institutions already pay among the highest salaries in Kerala’s private hospital sector and would fully comply with any revised government notification.Had enhanced salariesThe managements said Jubilee Mission had implemented revised wages even after the 2018 minimum wage notification was set aside by the High Court and had cleared all arrears. They added that the hospital had independently enhanced salaries from April 2023, with the current pay scale ranging from ₹32,718 to ₹65,000.The managements also pointed out that the draft minimum wage notification had provided a 60-day period for filing objections, but the UNA launched its strike the day after the draft notification was issued. They alleged that the strike had commenced without the statutory prior notice.Rejecting allegations made during the agitation, the managements described as baseless claims that nurses had been offered a ₹10,000 salary increase if they withdrew from the UNA. They said the recent meeting convened by Archbishop Mar Andrews Thazhath had taken place at the request of the UNA leadership and that the understanding had been to jointly press the State government to expedite the final wage notification. They added that the discussions had been cordial and expressed surprise at the subsequent escalation of the protest.No disciplinary actionThe managements further said no disciplinary action had been initiated against nurses participating in the strike and that they were welcome to return to work. They also claimed that nurses from other private hospitals were joining Amala and Jubilee Mission seeking better remuneration.According to the management, nurses at Amala receive a minimum monthly salary of ₹32,612, including basic pay, allowances and dearness allowance, besides an interim allowance of up to ₹9,000 introduced in April 2023 and an in-charge allowance of ₹5,000. With both sides holding firm to their positions, the State government’s intervention is now expected to be crucial in resolving the prolonged impasse. Published - June 30, 2026 07:35 pm IST
