Chennai: Nurses of the Tamil Nadu Mid-Level Healthcare Providers’ Union suspended their hunger strike after a three-hour meeting with health secretary Darez Ahamed on Monday, following protests for a pay hike and permanent jobs. The union said it would resume the agitation across from Nov 3 if the govt failed to fulfil its assurances.Union president N Sundari said the govt had promised the nurses that most of their demands would be addressed at the next meeting. “We have made fair demands. Thousands of nurses have joined the protest. We want the govt to resolve our grievances,” she told reporters after the meeting.Nurses began the strike near Rajarathinam Stadium in Egmore on Monday, seeking permanent employment, job security, and equal pay for equal work. They are also demanding a monthly salary of ₹45,000 and payment of pending incentives. They also sought medical and maternity leave, promotions, and higher incentives. “We are on contract, and we get about ₹21,000 a month, though our job profile is just like any other govt staff nurse. Many of us are posted in health and wellness centres. Our incentives for 2023 and 2024 are pending. We have also not received the promised 5% increment since 2023. If the assurances are not fulfilled, we will launch a massive protest across Tamil Nadu from Nov 3,” she said, pointing to better salaries for similar cadres in some other States.
