AIIMS on HALT: AIIMS nurses on mass casual leave opposing 7th Pay commission

"We are protesting against the retrograde recommendations of the Seventh Pay Commission. Our demand is that the entry pay grade for staff nurses should be enhanced to Rs 5,400 from the existing Rs 4,600 and the nursing allowance should be enhanced by Rs 7,800.

"Besides, risk allowance and night duty allowances should be given to all nurses as it is given to all other government employees," said Harish Kumar Kajla, President of AIIMS Nurses' Union.

"We deal with the deadly infections daily but we are not provided enough risk allowance. If the demands are not met, we will go on an indefinite strike from March 27," Kajla added.

The association further claimed that the AIIMS management despite giving assurances has not addressed their issues for over a year.

"On the assurance give by the management in a meeting regarding recommendation of enhanced pay scale, the Nurses' Union had withdrawn the agitation called upon by the All India Nurses Union and subsequently withdrawn the mass casual leave called on February 26, 2016.

"The AIIMS Nurses' Union was patiently waiting for the last one year for the fulfillment of the promises made by the administration but our demands went into deaf ears. Despite repeated representations, the administration has shown no mood to address the issue raised by the Union," Kajla claimed.

According to faculty members, the move will badly hit the emergency services and the functioning of the operation theaters of the institute apart from other patient services.

"The pay scales proposal has been sent to the Ministry of Health for consideration while the report of government on the allowances has not yet been finalised," a senior AIIMS official said.