Nursing staff on strike in Rajindra Medical College and Hospital, Patiala on ThursdayNearly 1,500 nursing staff from three major government medical colleges in Punjab’s Patiala, Amritsar, and Mohali went on an indefinite strike starting Thursday, defying the East Punjab Essential Services (Maintenance) Act, 1947, bringing critical healthcare services under severe strain.The strike impacted Rajindra Medical College and Hospital in Patiala, Government Medical College in Amritsar, and Dr B R Ambedkar State Institute of Medical Sciences in Mohali, where nurses recruited after July 17, 2020, abstained from duty, leading to an acute shortage of trained staff on hospital floors.The protest, spearheaded by the United Nurses Association of Punjab, centres on the long-pending demand for the implementation of Level 7 of the Central pay scale with a grade pay of Rs 4,600.“This demand has been pending for nearly five years in Punjab. In other states and neighbouring regions, nursing personnel are already receiving salaries with the Rs 4,600 grade pay, but Punjab nurses are being paid comparatively lower wages, which do not match their responsibilities and workload,” the Association’s state president Ramanjit Singh Gill said.Gill warned that the agitation would intensify if the government failed to take a prompt, positive decision.Pay structure anomaly at the coreAccording to the Association, nurses recruited on or after July 17, 2020, were initially promised salaries aligned with level 7, higher than the Central pay scale, but were later placed in Level 5 in February 2021, drawing a starting basic pay of Rs 29,200 against Rs 44,900 under level 7 implemented in several other states.All regular employees recruited before July 17, 2020, have been getting the Punjab pay scale, which is higher than Level 7 of the Central pay scale.Story continues below this adAssociation patron Jujhar Singh Mann termed the move a “cheating,” and said, “We were recruited on higher pay, made to work during COVID, and then downgraded through a 2021 notification. We have been fighting since then for our rightful grade pay.”“We gave three reminders — one in February and two in March — and even held a meeting with Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh and Principal Secretary Health Kumar Rahul on March 19, but there was no solution. They imposed ESMA on us late Wednesday night, but despite that, we are determined to go ahead with the strike,” Mann said.Mann further pointed out that new recruits receive only basic pay for the first three years, worsening financial stress, and claimed that Punjab nurses are earning Rs 15,000–20,000 less per month compared to counterparts in neighbouring states like Haryana.ESMA invoked, legal consequences loomIn a late-night order issued on March 25, the Punjab Government invoked ESMA 1947 (Punjab Act 13 of 1947), directing all nursing staff and essential medical personnel not to abstain from duty. The order, issued by Kumar Rahul, Principal Secretary (Health), warned that any violation would attract strict penal provisions under the Act and directed employees to resume duties with immediate effect.Story continues below this adUnder ESMA, any strike in essential services is deemed illegal once the Act is enforced. Employees defying the order can face imprisonment for up to six months, a fine, or both. The government is also empowered to initiate departmental action, including suspension, termination and enforcement of the “no work, no pay” rule, while those instigating or supporting the strike may also face legal action.Health services under pressureWith only pre-2020 senior nursing staff, estimated at fewer than 500 per institution, still working, hospitals are grappling with staff shortages. Sources said the burden has shifted to nursing students and senior staff, raising concerns over patient care and safety.Despite the legal warning and the risk of punitive action, the striking nurses have maintained a defiant stance, setting the stage for a direct confrontation between the state government and healthcare workers — one now at the intersection of service rights and enforcement of essential service law.