Nurses on strike at Gokulam Medical College

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The nurses’ strike at Sree Gokulam Medical College and Research Foundation near Venjaramoodu, would continue.The parleys between the hospital management and representatives of agitating nurses, which were mediated by district labour officer on Saturday, ended in a deadlock with both sides sticking to their demands.The agitation organised by All-India Private Nurses Association (AIPNA) started on Saturday.The agitators, raising a slew of demands which comprises better pay and reduced duty time organised themselves and staged a sit-in just outside the campus. Though the hospital authorities claimed that the strike had not affected the functioning of the hospital, some of the patients complained otherwise.Joseph V Paul, a member of the All-India Private Nurses Association, Gokulam Medical College Hospital unit, alleged that the management has constantly trampled the rights of the nurses.But the management refuted the allegations and maintained that the salary fixed by the government has been accepted by the administration and duty time will be trifurcated. But the agitating staff was not responding positively. “Some vested interest is behind the whole proceedings,” a top hospital official said.