Nurses complain poor wages in private sector, complain to govt
Srinagar: While private hospitals in the Valley are providing quality healthcare to the patients, these are, however, violating labour laws and regulations by offering peanuts in the name of salary to their staff, especially to the nursing staff.
As per the SRO 460 of 2017, the Nurses fall in the Highly Skilled Category, and are to be paid Rs 400/- per day, which makes the amount to Rs 12000/- per month. However, the nurses working in private sector say that they are being paid 5000-6000 rupees per month, which is an utter violation of the basic labour law.
Highlighting their misery a nurse has submitted a complaint in the J&K Govt’s Grievance Cell, alleging that they are being paid low wages.
She has said that as per the Indian Nurses Council (INC), the nurses who are holding degrees should be paid minimum of Rs 12000/- per month, however she has stated that they are being paid 5000-600 rupees per month.
“I am a professional nurse working in private sector. I want to draw your kind attention towards the sheer injustice being done to us by owners of the private hospitals and paramedical institutions,” she has written in the complaint.
“According to INC, the minimum monthly wages for a degree holding nurse should be 12500/- Rupees. There is no accountable authority supervising these private institutions and paramedical institutes due to which we are at receiving end. We are being paid 5000-6000 rupees mostly everywhere in Kashmir Division, which is against INC rules,” she states while making her case.
The grievance has witnessed a prompt action from the Labor Department, Kashmir which has asked all the Assistant Labor Commissioners in Kashmir Division to seek compliance of the SRO 460, which ensures the equal wages to be paid to the highly skilled workers, from the private hospitals functioning in all the districts in Kashmir Division,
“Since the Nurses fall under the ‘Highly Skilled Category’ and are entitled to be paid wages @ Rs 400/ day as per SRO 460 issued vide notification dated 26-10-2017, as such you are directed serve notices to all the private hospitals/ Nursing homes running in respective districts for implementation of the above said SRO in its letter and spirit under an intimation to this office. So that the Nurses working in these private hospitals/ Nursing homes are paid due wages and their grievance is redressed,” reads the letter that has been shot to all the Assistant Labour Commissioners by Deputy Labour Commissioner, Kashmir, seeking urgent compliance.
The compliance to the order is yet to be witnessed on the ground, with the Nurses demanding that a regulatory body should be put in place that will take care of rights of the manpower falling in the Highly Skilled Category, who are being otherwise exploited.
“They (hospitals) might comply or they might not, there has to be a body that will take care of the manpower, especially the nurses, so that they are not exploited,” a nurse said.
Irfan Tramboo
