Overview
- The United Nurses Association began a selective, indefinite strike on March 9 targeting private hospitals that have not agreed to its pay demand, with emergency and trauma services kept outside the protest for now.
- Hospital operations in Kozhikode were disrupted at several major facilities, where managements leaned on auxiliary staff to keep critical procedures running as large numbers of nurses stayed off duty.
- UNA said seven hospitals signed agreements and will be exempt from the strike, with terms including ending trainee appointments and a starting salary of ₹32,750, while talks continue mostly with small and medium institutions.
- Union leaders state major hospital groups remain reluctant to meet the ₹40,000 basic pay demand, and they plan to continue protests at noncompliant facilities.
- Kerala’s Labour Department has issued a draft to raise minimum pay to about ₹28,000, which the UNA rejected as insufficient, and the Labour Minister has called the strike political ahead of expected election notification that could constrain further government action.