The Kerala High Court has issued notice to the State government, the Malappuram district programme manager of Arogyakeralam, and the Indian Nursing Council on a petition challenging an Arogyakeralam order on providing salary to staff nurses only for the days they have worked in a month.
The petition was filed by the United Nurses Association. According to it, the maximum salary was capped at 27 days. The association said the order allowing nursers to draw salary only for the days they had worked was illegal. The State and Centre had acknowledged the hard work put in by the frontline workers for improving COVID-19 recovery rates. The denial of legitimate salary was a violation of their rights. As a result of the order, nurses were compelled to work for an entire month without leave in order to receive the salary for at least 27 days. Even those wages are not paid on time. The petitioner sought the enforcement of the earlier government order mandating to pay a month’s salary to all staff nurses.
