The Kozhikode district committee of the United Nurses Association (UNA) has temporarily called off the ongoing indefinite strike in private hospitals as it seeks a better pay package and other benefits.
UNA Kozhikode district president Jishnu Ashok told The Hindu on Saturday (March 14) that members of the association have joined duty in their respective hospitals. This comes a day after the Kerala High Court ordered the UNA to postpone the strike till March 19. Interviews are expected to take place at the court’s mediation center on March 17. “If there is no progress after the talks, the strike will continue,” Ashok added.
Around 1,500 nurses in various private hospitals in the district have been on strike since March 9, disrupting the functioning of many key departments such as intensive care and emergency care. One of their main demands is to increase the basic pay to ₹40,000. The UNA had previously gone on strike on March 4. After that, only one-third of the nursing staff reported to work in some large hospitals. In recent days, this number has even decreased. The striking nurses also staged a ‘dharna’ outside the Kozhikode collectorate.
Meanwhile, the UNA reached an agreement with the management of the Iqraa International Hospital in the city, where the strike was called off.
Published – 14 March 2026 21:11 IST
