New Delhi, Dec 15 (IANS): The Delhi Nurses Federation (DNF), the apex welfare association of nurses working across the government hospitals in the national capital, has showed its support to the indefinite strike by the nurses of All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS), on Tuesday.

The association has also written a letter to the union health minister Dr Harsh Vardhan requesting him to resolve the long-pending demands of the nursing cadre employed in the Centre-run medical institute.

Liladhar Ramchandani, general secretary of DNF, stated that the issues raised by the nurses of AIIMS are not limited to them, but is a ground reality across the country.

"The contractualisation of our jobs is snatching the dignity of our profession. The nurses are struggling to fulfil their various demands pending since the last 10 years, but still the ministry of health is not showing any interest in resolving genuine issues of the nurses. The issues raised by AIIMS nurses union are not limited to them only, but belong to all the nurses of India," he said.

Ramchandani informed that the nurses working across Delhi-government run hospitals have shown support to the agitation by AIIMS' nurses. "DNF stands in full support of the AIIMS Nurses Union and all the nurses working under the Delhi government have extended their solidarity to the movement started by AIIMS nurses," he said.

Around 5,000 nurses of AIIMS are on the indefinite strike since Monday afternoon against the hospital's decisions to engage nursing officers on contractual payroll and other demands.

Their 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 strike was scheduled to be observed from Wednesday, however, as per the nurses union. However, the decision by the hospital to start contractual hiring forced them to pre-empt their strike.

Meanwhile, AIIMS said on Tuesday that the nurses neither want to work, nor would allow anyone else to work as nursing staff in the hospital.

The hospital defended its decision of hiring nurses on contract basis as a part of their contingency plan to deal with the strike call by the nurses' union.