KOCHI: The Lakeshore Hospital has become the latest in the series of hospitals to get caught in the nurses agitation fast sweeping across the state. The strike comes close on the heels of the nurses’ stir at Kolenchery MOSC Medical College. The Lakeshore Hospital management has moved the court against the nurses’ union, calling the strike ‘illegal’. “The strike is completely illegal. The United Nurses Association (UNA), which has called the strike, is registered as a charitable society and not as a trade union. A charitable society does not have the powers to conduct a strike or call for labourers' rights. We have already taken the issue to court,” said the Lakeshore Hospital managing director and CEO Dr Philip Augustine. The Regional Joint Labour Commissioner has taken up the issue with the union, he added. “A charitable society does not have the powers to call a strike. It is a technical issue. We have taken it up with the UNA,” said Regional Joint Labour Commissioner Vincent Alex.The UNA, meanwhile, claims that they will go on with the strike as long as all the demands are not met. The bone of contention is the salary scale for experienced nurses. The UNA has demanded a salary of Rs 16,000 a month for BSC nursing staff with an experience of 2-3 years and Rs 15,000 for general nursing staff. The hospital management has hit out at the union saying that the amount was way above the government norm of Rs 9,000. The management has also denied all the charge raised by the union of employing nurses at salaries below Rs 9,000. Meanwhile, the union has alleged that the hospital was using the services of the student nurses from Welcare Hospital and the PS Mission Hospital. “If these hospitals do not recall their nursing student within 24 hours, we will hold strikes in these hospitals as well,”, said UNA state president M Jasminsha.However, the hospital management shows no signs of buckling under pressure. “We have an agreement to train the nurses of a few hospitals at Lakeshore. This has been going on even before the strike. A large number of the nurses who have begun the strike here are not our staff. The working of our hospital is unaffected,” said Dr Philip.No untoward incident has been reported from the hospital so far. About 15 police officers were deployed at the venue.
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