The government will announce new minimum wages for nurses and other paramedical staff in private hospitals by October first week.
The industrial relations committee (IRC) now studying the service conditions of nurses would meet on September 28 to finalise the wage package.
As a consensus on minimum wages eluded the talks at the IRC meet on Wednesday, labour minister Shibu Baby John asked the minimum wages committee of the government to work things out. The committee would submit its report by September 18.
According to sources, while nurses unions insisted on getting Rs 12,900 as minimum wage, as recommended by the Balaraman panel, the managements took the stand that they could not go for a hike beyond 15 per cent of the existing minimum wage.
“The managements are ready to give a minimum salary of Rs 10,000 to BSc nurses and `9,500 to GNM nurses. But this is not acceptable to the nurses. So, the issue was left to the minimum wages committee.
Still, a final decision will be that of the IRC,” said a source.
Meanwhile, the district labour officer will hold another round of discussions on September 11 to settle the nurses’ strike seeking minimum wages at Mother Hospital in Thrissur.
The meeting convened on Thursday failed, following which the management sought two more days to come up with fresh proposals.