Thiruvananthapuram: The Kerala government announced on Saturday that it will issue a draft notification within a month to revise minimum wages for employees in the private hospital sector, a move aimed at addressing long-standing wage disparities in the healthcare industry. State Labour Minister V. Sivankutty said the decision comes after prolonged discussions through the Minimum Wages Committee failed to yield a consensus due to non-cooperation from management representatives.

Speaking after a meeting of the Private Hospital Industrial Relations Committee in Thiruvananthapuram, Sivankutty emphasized that the government would invoke Section 5 of the Minimum Wages Act, 1948, which empowers authorities to directly notify revised wages when negotiations are stalled. “At present, most private hospitals are paying wages based on the 2013 notification. Considering the present cost of living, these wages are insufficient for workers to support their families,” the minister said, highlighting the urgency of the revision.

The proposed notification follows a committee exercise initiated in October 2023, during which the government collected evidence from all 14 districts and conducted several rounds of discussions with hospital managements and representatives of healthcare workers. Despite multiple attempts, no agreement was reached as management representatives reportedly maintained a negative stance, stalling progress on wage revisions.

Sivankutty clarified that ensuring fair and adequate wages for private hospital employees is the responsibility of the state government and that protracted negotiations could not continue indefinitely. He added that trade unions had already agreed to a department-level proposal recommending a 60 per cent increase in wages based on the 2013 notification.

The minister assured that the upcoming draft notification would take into account the demands and concerns of various professional bodies, including the Indian Association of Physiotherapists, Kerala Private Pharmacists Association, Indian Society of Radiographers and Technologists, and the Indian Speech Language and Hearing Association. This indicates that the revision will be comprehensive, reflecting the diversity of roles within private hospitals and ensuring that the revised wages address the needs of employees across different categories of healthcare work.

Additional Labour Commissioner K. M. Sunil and members of the Private Hospital Minimum Wages Committee were present at the meeting, underscoring the government’s commitment to a structured and consultative process in finalizing the draft notification. Sivankutty also noted that the revision would not impose any additional financial burden on private hospitals, suggesting that the government is exploring a framework that balances the interests of both workers and management.

The labour minister’s announcement comes at a time when debates over fair compensation and working conditions in the private healthcare sector have intensified, particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic and rising living costs. Employees in private hospitals, including nurses, technicians, pharmacists, physiotherapists, and support staff, have long argued that wages set in 2013 fail to match inflation and the growing demands of modern healthcare services.

By issuing the draft notification, the Kerala government is taking a direct regulatory step to ensure that minimum wages are updated in line with contemporary economic realities, while also signaling that delays due to management resistance will no longer hinder wage reforms. Once the draft is published in the official gazette, stakeholders will have an opportunity to provide feedback before the final notification is issued.

Sivankutty’s intervention reflects a broader trend in the state to strengthen labour protections and ensure equitable treatment of workers in essential service sectors. The government’s action is expected to benefit thousands of private hospital employees, providing them with better financial security, enhancing morale, and potentially improving service quality within the sector.

With the draft notification scheduled for release within a month, all eyes will be on how private hospital managements respond and whether further consultations are needed to finalize the revised wage structure. The move also underscores Kerala’s continued emphasis on labour welfare as a key component of governance, balancing economic development with social justice in the state’s healthcare system.