Thrissur: Nurses across private hospitals in Kerala are set to stage a strike on February 21, demanding a much-awaited salary revision. The United Nurses Association (UNA) has announced a token strike after eight years of stagnant wages, warning that an indefinite strike could follow if the government fails to act on their demands.
The nurses’ primary demand is an increase in the basic salary to ₹40,000—a request the association has been raising for the past five years. While some private hospitals have expressed willingness to implement the revised pay, managements insist that a government order is necessary to enforce it.
UNA National President Jasmin Shah said the strike is a protest against the government’s delay in issuing the required order. During the strike, only minimal staff will be on duty in emergency departments and critical wards to ensure essential services are maintained.
The UNA leadership emphasized that if the government continues to ignore nurses’ demands, the agitation will escalate into an indefinite strike, underscoring the urgency of addressing long-standing wage concerns.
