Thrissur: The United Nurses Association (UNA) has announced an indefinite strike from Monday in private hospitals across Kerala that have not agreed to the association’s salary demands. UNA is seeking a basic monthly salary of Rs 40,000 for nurses.

UNA president Jasminsha said in a Facebook Live session that seven private hospitals had already agreed to the demands and signed an agreement following a meeting with the All India Health Care Providers Association (AIHCPA) on Sunday. These hospitals will be exempt from the strike.

Under the agreement, the practice of appointing trainee nurses will be abolished, and the starting salary for nurses will be Rs 32,750, resulting in a gross salary increase of Rs 8,000 to Rs 12,000 for existing staff in these hospitals.

Jasminsha added that most of the hospitals willing to discuss the demands are small- and medium-sized, while major hospitals remain reluctant. The recent state government announcement of a basic salary increase to Rs 28,000 for nurses was rejected by UNA.

A day ago, the Kerala government had officially issued a notification to significantly increase the wages of nurses and other employees in the private hospital sector.

The decision followed a high-intensity, three-day strike led by the United Nurses Association (UNA) in front of the State Secretariat. Minister for Labour V Sivankutty announced that the draft notification detailing the new salary structure will be released this Saturday.

Under the new recommendations, the minimum wage for private nurses is set to rise to a range of ₹25,450 to ₹28,000, while those in senior or higher positions could see their salaries climb as high as ₹33,080. This is a substantial jump from the current basic pay of ₹20,000, which has been remaining stagnant since 2018.

Furthermore, the government has extended the wage hike to non-nursing staff, including attendants, security personnel, storekeepers and sweepers, proposing a new minimum monthly salary of ₹23,650 to ensure fair compensation across the board.