Kochi, March 13 The Kerala High Court on Friday ordered the striking nurses' associations and private hospital managements to enter mediation to resolve a statewide pay dispute that has disrupted healthcare services.
While referring both sides to mediation, Justice Mohammed Nias C P directed the on-strike nurses' association to defer their agitation until March 19 and ensure that its members do not abstain from work until then.
The court also directed the association representing the private hospital managements to participate in the mediation process "in good faith with a view to arriving at an equitable resolution of the dispute".
"Both sides shall refrain from doing any act which may aggravate or perpetuate the existing differences between them," the court said, while hearing a batch of pleas moved by some private hospitals and the association representing them.
The nurses' association and the hospitals were directed to appear before the Mediator, Kerala State Mediation and Conciliation Centre, High Court of Kerala at 11 am on March 17.
The Mediator was requested to file a report on or before March 19, the next date of hearing of the petitions.
During the day's hearing, the nurses association told the court that out of the 960 hospitals in the Kerala Private Hospital Association, the issue regarding wages has been settled with all hospitals except 28. However, this was opposed by the hospitals' association.
The court observed that the dispute between both sides pertains to the wages and service conditions of the nurses and said that "an attempt must be made to explore the possibility of an amicable resolution".
The court also observed that nurses constitute an indispensable and integral component of the healthcare delivery system in any hospital.
"Any prolonged dispute between the hospital managements and nursing staff inevitably affects the functioning of the hospitals and, in turn, places patients and members of the public who seek medical assistance in considerable hardship.
"Both sides would, therefore, do well to approach the mediation proceedings in a spirit of responsibility and accommodation, bearing in mind the larger public interest involved in the uninterrupted functioning of the healthcare institutions," it said.
Nurses affiliated to the United Nurses Association (UNA) began an indefinite statewide strike in Kerala on Monday, demanding that the basic salary in private hospitals be increased to Rs 40,000 per month.
The operations of several private hospitals that refused the demand were affected, as a large number of nurses stayed away from work in support of the strike.
