14 May, 2016
By: Main Desk
category: Kolkata
By A Newsman
Kolkata, 14 May: AROUND 250 nurses at the private Rabindranath Tagore Internationa Institute of Cardiac Sciences (RTIICS) located at EM Bypass in Kolkata have gone on a wildcat strike from this morning over “inadequate” salary hike.
The striking nurses have also held a peaceful demonstration at RTIICS and there is no sign of a resolution to the dispute as yet.
Owned by the Narayana Health group of Dr Devi Shetty, RTIICS is a 613 bed private hospital famous in eastern India for cardiology and neurology treatment.
Following an annual appraisal, RTIICS last month announced a salary hike for all staff members associated with the hospital. The nurses found the hike inadequate and lodged a protest with the hospital’s human resources department setting a 15 day deadline to announce a revised hike.
But with no response from the management to their appeal, the 250 odd nurses went on a wildcat strike from today morning. They have threatened not to resume work until the management starts a dialogue with them over the demand for a revision in pay hike.
Understandably, with such a huge number of nurses going on strike at a go is bound to have an impact at the hospital where several critical patients remain admitted all the time. RTIICS authorities, however, maintained that the hospital was “functioning normally.” They have also hinted at not getting into a negotiation with the striking nurses. “All available resources are being deployed in patient care as per the need and requirement. RTIICS has an annual review and appraisal policy, which factors in various parameters with respect to individual performance and othe parameters linked to organisation growth and performance. Management and team members have interactive dialogue and communication on the above topic as it happens in other vital functions,” an RTIICS spokesperson said without clarifying if steps were being taken to end the nurses’ strike.
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