Thiruvananthapuram: In a major victory for healthcare workers, the Kerala government has officially issued a notification to significantly increase the wages of nurses and other employees in the private hospital sector.
The decision follows a high-intensity, three-day strike led by the United Nurses Association (UNA) in front of the State Secretariat. Minister for Labour V Sivankutty announced that the draft notification detailing the new salary structure will be released this Saturday.
New salary structure for nurses and staff
Under the new recommendations, the minimum wage for private nurses is set to rise to a range of ₹25,450 to ₹28,000, while those in senior or higher positions could see their salaries climb as high as ₹33,080. This is a substantial jump from the current basic pay of ₹20,000, which has been remaining stagnant since 2018.
Furthermore, the government has extended the wage hike to non-nursing staff, including attendants, security personnel, storekeepers and sweepers, proposing a new minimum monthly salary of ₹23,650 to ensure fair compensation across the board.
Why were the healthcare workers protesting
Currently, nurses in Kerala's private hospitals are paid according to a 2018 Government Order. Although labour laws mandate a wage revision every five years, the salaries had remained unchanged for eight years.
The UNA and protesting healthcare workers have been demanding "Equal Pay for Equal Work", citing a Supreme Court order that suggests private sector nurses should receive pay parity with their government counterparts.
Minister Sivankutty clarified that the state government was forced to exercise its own authority to issue the notification. Previous attempts to negotiate with hospital managements failed, as representatives reportedly stayed away from meetings organised to discuss the minimum wage hike.