Para-medical staff to be organised under una

Kochi: The United Nurses Association, the only trade union of nurses in the private sector in the State, is expanding its base by including technical and non-technical staff in different hospitals. The first unit of the new organization, the United Hospital Staff Association, will be launched at the Elite Hospital in Thrissur on December 23.

“As hospital managements have been forced to pay more to the nurses following their agitations, the non- nursing staff are now being discriminated against. The new union, which will consist of nurses, pharmacy and laboratory employees and house-keeping staff will expand its membership’’, said Jasmin Shah, president, United Nurses Association.

The union will remain independent of any political affiliations as it will work only for the benefit of its members. “We will keep raising our demands to the State Government, irrespective of its political line’’, he said.