Tamil Nadu Nurses Demand Justice: A Call for Equality and Benefits

Nurses on consolidated pay at Tamil Nadu medical facilities continue their protest demanding regularization and benefits. Facing employment insecurity for over a decade, they feel neglected despite their essential pandemic role. Protests escalate with demands for job reinstatement and parity with regularly appointed colleagues.

Nurses employed on a consolidated pay basis at Tamil Nadu state government medical facilities persist in their protest, marking the third successive day on Saturday. They demand regularization of their services and access to various benefits.

The protesting nurses assert they've worked for over 10 years under contract without tangible benefits, such as paid maternity leave. Despite their pivotal role during the pandemic, these healthcare professionals feel marginalized and underappreciated, receiving neither fair pay nor benefits comparable to permanent government employees.

In a show of solidarity, hundreds participated in an overnight demonstration on December 19, despite adverse weather conditions, even bringing their children to the scene. On December 18, over 500 nurses were detained during a protest at Kilambakkam, pressing for service regularization and the reinstatement of roughly 700 nurses removed for administrative reasons. Initially, the protest began as a hunger strike at Sivananda Sala in Chepauk.

(With inputs from agencies.)