New Delhi: Nurses of the All India Institute of Medical Sciences called off their strike on Tuesday night after an order by the Delhi High Court which directed AIIMS nurses union to ensure that employees join duties immediatek, reported news agency ANI.
"We are accepting the decision of the Delhi High Court. We have been asked to appear in court on Wednesday. We will do so and based on the decision of the court, we will chalk out our future course of action," said a representative of the AIIMS nurses union, quoted by the news agency.
The AIIMS had moved Delhi High Court on Tuesday seeking direction to the Nurses 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 the 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.
The nursing staff of the hospital went on an indefinite strike after Nurses Union President Harish Kajila was suspended following a dispute between Kajila and the Resident Doctors Association. The nursing staff had been protesting over lack of manpower and late duty hours in the main operation theatre.
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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 retaliatory 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.