At the rally speakers accused the city office of clarifying on Dec. 25 last year the stand that it would not separately renew the contract signed with the nurses engaged in taking care of the health of weak people of society.

Consequently, nurses were driven into street in cold winter for the mere reason that the period for renewing the contract come to an end, they deplored.

The recent step amounted to an unreasonable layoff, they said, adding they would enter a sit-in strike in protest against this.