International Nurses Day, commemorated on 12 May every year will be marked as a black day, second year in a row by nurses here in protest of non-fulfillment of their long pending demands.
In a statement, J&K Nurses Association said that all nurses of Government Medical College Srinagar and associated hospitals will mark the international nurses day falling on May 12 as black day. International nurses day is commemorated in memory of Florence Nightingale all over the world to recognize her contribution and legacy carried forward by nursing community.
The statement said the decision to register protest on the day has been taken in response to the complacency shown by government towards resolving the demands put before the authorities for many years. “The association time and again has put their demands before the administration but nothing is being dome in this regard,” said the press statement.
Last year too, all over GMC Hospitals, nurses had worn black bands in protest.”Principal GMC Srinagar has already looked into the genuine demands of nurses and forwarded the same to the administrative department, but it appears that nurses welfare is nobody’s priority,” association president Parveen Khan said.
Among the demands, the association has sought that government makes provision to remove the pay anomaly and grade disparity of nurses. “We, the nurses undergo four years degree course and are placed in non-technical cadre, while as the para medical staff, such as ECG technician and others, with similar qualification requirements, are recognized as a technical post,” association president said.
She added that nurses in SKIMS and other institutes across states of India, doing the same work as nurses in GMC associated hospitals were granted grade pay of Rs 4600 in the 6th pay commission, while GMC hospital nurses were getting pay under 4200 grade. “This is sheer injustice and a murder of our rights. Equal work must get equal pay,” Khan said.
The nurses association has threatened to go on strike if its demands were not met.