The Delhi High Court, in an order issued on Tuesday, restrained the All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS)-Delhi Nurses' Union from going ahead with its agitation.
According to media reports, a single-judge Bench of Justice Navin Chawla, in an order, said, "Respondent is restrained from continuing with the strike till further orders."
AIIMS had moved the court, arguing that the agitation by the nurses was “against the law and public interest” as no prior notice was served to it.
The Union home minister had asked AIIMS to ensure that the working of the hospital is not affected by the strike, especially so as it comes at the time of COVID-19.
From Monday afternoon, around 5,000 nurses went on strike, hampering patient care services at AIIMS. The nurses' union's demands include correction of an anomaly in the fixation of the initial pay as per the Sixth Central Pay Commission (CPC), redressal of issues such as abolishment of gender-based reservation in the recruiting process of nursing officers and contractual appointments, enhancement of hospital accommodation and cadre restructuring.
The AIIMS had, in a statement, said nurses have gone on a strike in contravention of the High Court's direction on the "code of conduct" laid down whereby no employee, staff or faculty member will cease work for any reason whatsoever, shout slogans, hold demonstrations within the campus or hold gate meeting within 500 meters of the institute boundary.
—With PTI Inputs
