AIIMS Nurses Strike: Delhi HC directs Nurses Union to join work, detailed hearing tomorrow

New Delhi: The Delhi High Court on Tuesday directed the AIIMS nurses union to ensure that the employees including nurses who are on strike join duties immediately.

On Tuesday AIIMS moved Delhi HC seeking direction to Nurse Union and any staff of AIIMS to desist from resorting to strike or in any manner disrupting the general functioning of the petitioner's institute and hospital.

The bench of Justice Yashwant Varma on Tuesday directed Nurses Union to ensure that its workers including nursing officers immediately start working and issued notice to the nurses union. The court listed the matter for a detailed hearing on Wednesday morning while hearing a petition moved by the AIIMS administration against the ongoing strike by nurses.

AIIMS through Advocate Satya Ranjan Swain submitted that the said indefinite strike is not in the public interest and the said strike is also illegal given the fact that the grievances of the respondent are unjustified and after consideration, the AIIMS Management has suspended the President of the Respondent.

AIIMS is in the forefront of the battle against Covid-19 and is regularly treating Covid patients in addition to its general patient load. The strike called by the Respondent gravely hampers the ability of the Petitioner to fulfil its duties, said the AIIMS plea.

AIIMS seeks issuance of Court direction to the functionaries of the Respondent to not instigate their members to go on strike or in any manner disrupt the functioning of the Petitioner's institute and hospital.

In response to the suspension of the President of AIIMS Nurses Union, Harish Kajila, the nursing staff of the hospital on Tuesday went on an indefinite strike. The nurses union has demanded the immediate revocation of Kajla's suspension.

In a letter addressed to the AIIMS Director Dr Randeep Guleria, the Union wrote, "In response to your unilateral decision to suspend Harish Kajila, president of AllMS Nurses Union, without even citing proper reasons, the union called an emergency executive meeting and took the decision to go on indefinite strike from 8 AM on April 26 demanding immediate revocation of suspension of Harish Kumar Kajla and stopping of all kinds of retaliative measures against union executives and Union members of main operation theatre (OT)."

"The union has always been receptive and open to expressing our genuine concerns and version throughout this issue. But unfortunately, we were neither called, nor contacted via any communication which forced us to go on an indefinite strike to safeguard the basic rights of our members. We would like to remind you that the undemocratic AllMS administration will be solely responsible for the consequences if any," the letter read.

On April 23, AIIMS witnessed a dispute between the nursing officer Harish Kajila and the Resident Doctors Association. The nursing staff were protesting over the lack of manpower and late duty hours in the main operation theatre.

However reacting over the incident, taking to social media today morning, the Association of Resident Doctors of All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi wrote, "Doctors and nurses have worked together in harmony, with mutual respect, to bring AIIMS to new heights. Without good nursing care, the holistic treatment of patients can't be imagined. Voice of RDA AIIMS is not against any person or union, but against this unjust behaviour." (ANI)