Vidarbha nurses warn Maharashtra of stir for pay parity

NAGPUR: Demanding parity in salaries paid to nurses in state government and central government hospitals, health care workers in

Vidarbha

have geared up for an agitation based on same work, same pay principle.

Highlighting the disparity, president of Maharashtra Government Vidarbha Nurses Association, Kalpana Vinchurkar, says, “Nurses working in state government hospitals are being paid salaries according to the 4th pay commission, while those in central government hospitals are being paid as per 7th commission. This makes a difference of over Rs 10,000-Rs 12,000 between the salaries of the nurses, who essentially do the same job.”

“Patients are important, regardless of the hospital they are in. Then why discriminate among the nurses,” asked Vinchurkar.

Vinchurkar and other members of the association will be submitting a memorandum to collector on November 15 and have warned of an indefinite strike if the administration does not respond to their plea. Over 7,000 nurses are a part of the association.

The association also pointed out that nurses in state government hospitals are not given night duty allowance and nursing allowance. “Moreover, the allowances state nurses are given are too less compared to central government hospitals,” Vinchurkar said.

Discrimination persists among nurses who work for District Health Service (DHS) and Directorate of Medical Education and Research (DMER), alleged Vinchurkar. “Washing and uniform allowance for hospitals at district level is Rs500, whereas those working in medical colleges get a meagre allowance of Rs50. Moreover, nurses of district hospitals are given transfers within months, and sometimes a couple of years. According to rules set by DHS, a transfer can only be given after 6 years, said Vinchurkar. “Due to early and untimely transfers, many nurses are forced to relocate with their families and face inconvenience,” she added.

It is to be noted that Asha workers working in municipal corporation and villages have also complained about irregular and untimely payments. Moreover, the pay is based on specific tasks, rendering Asha workers unpaid for most days in a month.