Nearly nine months after more than 3,000 contract nurses struck work demanding higher pay scale, the state on Tuesday cleared the decks to nearly double their salary from a consolidated pay of Rs 7,700 per month to a take-home salary of Rs 14,000 per month.
State health minister C Vijayabaskar said salary revision was cleared by chief minister Edappadi Palaniswami and the payment will be with effect from April 2018.
“In addition to take-home pay, nurses will get benefits such as ESIC. They will also get a yearly hike of Rs 500,” he said. The hike will benefit more than 12,000 nurses, he said.
In 2017, more than 3,000 government nurses struck work and gathered at the office of the directorate of medical and rural health services demanding better salary, working hours and permanent employment. Services at several government hospitals were affected for nearly a week. Until 2015, the state hired nurses with a diploma in nursing from government hospitals on contract before being moved into regular government employment. In 2015, for the first time, the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Recruitment Board conducted a competitive exam to recruit nurses. The exam was open to nurses trained in private colleges and hospitals.
The state had appointed more than 11,000 nurses, mostly nursing graduates, on a contract basis through the recruitment board under the National Health Mission programme for a consolidated pay. Senior officials in the health department made a formal request for immediate pay hike, but said these nurses will be eligible for permanent employment only after two years of service.
“They will be absorbed on the basis of seniority whenever vacancy arises,” a senior official said.
Source : Times of India
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