Threatens indefinite strike if demands not met
SHILLONG: The Meghalaya Government Nurses Service Association (MGNSA) has issued a 21-day deadline to the State Government to meet their demands which include the filling up of the various vacant posts.
The nurses’ association has threatened to go on an indefinite strike in case the government fails to comply with its demands within the stipulated time.
Informing this on Friday, MGNSA general secretary B Thabah said that even though the nurses will continue to look after the patients who have been already admitted, they would not receive any new patients in any of the health centers across the State once the indefinite strike commences.
Thabah demanded that the Government should fill up the 468 plus vacant posts. She said that priority should be given to the bonded nurses while filing up the various vacant posts since it has been a government policy throughout.
The MGNSA has also formed an expert committee to present its views to the State Government on the proposed amendment of the Meghalaya Nurse’s Service Rules, 2008
“The expert committee will meet on August 8 to discuss on the matter before presenting its views on the proposed amendment,” Thabah informed.
“The nurses are yet to have a full fledged service rule of their own. We have been fighting for this for the past ten years,” the MGNSA general secretary said.
She said that the present service rule in place was adopted from other departments.
The MGNSA general secretary also expressed strong reservation over the non-sitting of the Departmental Promotion Committee (DPC) since 2011.
“Many of the top posts including the post of Assistant Deputy Director are lying vacant due to non-sitting of the DPC. We would urge upon the State Government to direct the DPC to have its sitting at the earliest,” Thabah said.
The MGNSA also demanded that representative from the nursing community should be part of the departmental committee constituted last year for recruitment of bonded nursing students.
