Back to work: Nurses end boycott as govt accepts key demands

The notification for the acceptance of demands is expected by April 5.

KARACHI:

The Pakistan Nursing Association (PNA) ended its province-wide strike on the 11th day after the health secretary assured them in person that their demands had been accepted.

Although a notification has yet to be issued, cementing the deal, the nurses and paramedics said their meeting with the health department on Tuesday was reassuring and positive. “The notification will be issued by April 5,” said the secretary, Syed Hashim Raza Zaidi.

The accepted demands include a service structure and time scale, an increase in the uniform and mess allowances, an increase in the stipend for nursing students and DDO powers for nursing colleges, with effect from April 2012.

Mohammad Iqbal Arain, the PNA Karachi information secretary, said that the dress and mess allowance has been increased to Rs6,000 for grade 16 and Rs4,000 for grades 17 and 19, and the stipend of the nursing students has been increased from Rs1,525 to Rs6,640. Also, Rs2,000 has been increased for the entire staff for hard work, high risk and rural allowances.

With regard to the paramedical staff who were also protesting, Rs2,000 have been raised for workers from grades 1 to 10 and Rs3,000 for grades 11 to 15.

Holding reservations

However, there were some who were not completely happy with the half-baked efforts on the part of the government. “It is sad that after such a long struggle, we have not received all the benefits that we asked for,” said Imran, who works at the National Institute of Child Health, referring to the cut made in the dress and mess allowance.

PNA leader Aijaz Ahmed Kaleri said that they are still being paid Rs5,000 less as the nurses in Punjab receive Rs11,000 for dress and mess. “However, we have been assured that this difference would possibly be overcome in the next three months by the next financial budget,” said Kaleri. He told The Express Tribune that a committee has been constituted to hold discussions with the nursing representatives for further negotiations, comprising the government representatives from the Sindh health department, the finance department and PNA leaders.

PNA member, Ikhlaq Qadri, expressed his satisfaction that through the protest, the government recognises them as separate stakeholders. “They are now willing to talk about our matters directly with us.”

Kaleri said that there are a few demands which have not been accepted. “But they were not a priority and the ones which were important have been accepted”.

He announced that the protesting staff will join their duties from the very same day.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 4^th, 2012.