The Madras High Court today declared the stir by some Nurses' associations as illegal and restrained them from taking recourse to strike.
"Strike called by persons, who are engaged in providing essential services, is called for stern action. We thus deem it appropriate to declare the strike as illegal," the court said.
The first bench, comprising Chief Justice Indira Banerjee and Justice M.Sundar, passed an interim order restraining the Tamil Nadu MRB Nurses Empowerment Association and MRB Nurses Welfare Association from taking recourse to strike.
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The bench was passing interim orders on a petition from N.Ganesh.
It made it clear that any member of these two associations refraining from attending to work or performing duty should do so at his/her risk of consequences thereof including termination of their employment and/or penalization for gross contempt of court.
Once the members of these two associations resume their work, the state health and family welfare department or its representatives shall immediately start and resume negotiations for immediate improvement of the service conditions and in particular enhancement of remuneration paid to the nurses appointed under a scheme, the bench added.
It posted further hearing of the case to January 2.
The status report relating to the outcome of the negotiations should be filed, it added.
In his petition, Ganesh sought a direction to the two associations and contract nurses employed with government hospitals in the state, from resorting to any kind of agitations, strike or refusal to work or abstaining from discharging their duty and obligation attached to their employment.
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