Mumbai, July 18 -- Thousands of the state's nurses declared an indefinite strike and suspended services on Thursday demanding that contractual recruitment of nurses be halted, allowances increased, and vacant posts filled to reduce their workload in government hospitals across Maharashtra. This strike is a part of a state-wide protest held by the 47 branches of the Maharashtra State Nursing Association (MSNA) against the medical education department's June 6 decision to hire nurses on a contractual basis. What began as a two-day strike from 10am to 5pm on Tuesday and Wednesday, with nurses continuing their work at hospitals, has now developed into an indefinite strike affecting the state's major government hospitals, public health centres and other medical establishments. The current agitation resembles a similar strike in May 2022 when the MNSA had opposed contractual recruitment of nurses and succeeded in getting the practice dropped by the government. This time, the association is yet again demanding the recent decision to be cancelled and recruitment to occur on a permanent basis. Sumitra Tote, secretary of MNSA, said that the unreliability of the contractual system forced nurses to take up at least two jobs to earn enough during the pandemic. "When we are hired on a contractual basis, there is a delay in salary disbursements leading to a financial strain on us," said Tote. The association demanded that salary discrepancies among staff nurses, nursing tutors and staff in charge be resolved, along with an increase in the stipend provided to nursing students, and the allowances provided to nurses from the government. The association also brought up promotions at government hospitals that have been stalled for the past five years. Along with a lack of nursing teacher posts in colleges, MNSA highlighted that at least 50% of all nursing staff posts in the state were vacant. MNSA approached Prakash Abitkar, state minister of public health and family welfare, to discuss their demands, but the meeting was cancelled after a scuffle at the Vidhan Bhavan lobby between BJP and NCP-SP legislators. Meanwhile, the meeting on Wednesday with Hassan Mushrif, the state minister of medical education, also failed to satisfy the association....