New Delhi, Dec 15 : The immediate decision by All India Institute of Medical Sciences' (AIIMS) nurses' union to cease the strike post the meeting with AIIMS director and officials of Union Health Ministry received a huge backlash from the nurses and has forced the union to reconsider its decision.
After the meeting with Director AIIMS and health officials of the Union Health Ministry, the nurses' union asked its members to call off the strike citing the High Court order.
However, the majority of the members refused to budge down their agitation and said that they are ready to go to jail for the contempt of the court's order but would not end the strike.
Harish Kumar, president AIIMS nurses' union, addressed the agitating staff and appealed them to end the strike.
"The AIIMS administration has turned our issue into a legal soup.
Now, our agitation would not be against the government or hospital, but the court. If we continue our strike, we will contempt the court order which would eventually weaken our defence," he said.
Kumar assured that the union would challenge the current order in the higher bench of the court.
However, his appeal and assurances received a vehement backlash from the majority of the nurses protesting there.
"We had already anticipated it.
Why budge now? The same scenario was repeated earlier, but no reform happened," a nurse shouted in the meeting.
Meanwhile, a section of the nurses suggested to cease the strike now, but added that a deadline should be kept to resolve their grievances legally, post that, the agitation should restart, said Neeta Singh, one of the protesting nurses said.
Watching the clear bifurcation, the union did not proceed with their initial decision and called the protesting nurses for further discussion.
As of now, no decision has been taken unanimously, but the union is trying to persuade the members to call off the indefinite strike.
The Delhi High Court on Tuesday had restrained AIIMS nurses' union from continuing their indefinite strike.
The order was passed in a petition by the AIIMS.
A single-judge Bench of Justice Navin Chawla passed the order after noting that the grievances of the nurses' union were being considered by the authorities.
--IANS
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Source: IANS
