Kerala high court stalls minimum wage notification for nurses and hospital staff
The Kerala high court has ordered a stay on a notification of a revised minimum wage for nurses and other hospital staff. The Kerala government had agreed to a revision of minimum wage for the nurses after a prolonged struggle. Last year, an expert committee appointed to look into the matter had recommended an upward revision of the minimum wage to Rs. 20,000. The nurses in the private sector have been demanding that the minimum wage for the sector be the same as that for public sector nurses. Yet, merely days before the minimum wage was to be notified, the private hospital association has won a stay against its notification.
Health sector workers in India have been getting a raw deal over many years. While most of the new recruits into the public health system have been incorporated under various schemes rather than as permanent employees, the private health sector which has been booming in the past decade has also offered very poor wage packages for the nurses and hospital staff. Some of these struggles have also gained media attention. The Kerala high court verdict comes as a significant setback to these struggles and to the lives of those who provide essential health care.
Source: The Wire
