Representative of the nursing body at Linden, Maurice Butters, Chief Labour Officer Mohamed Akeel and representatives of the Linden Hospital Complex yesterday negotiated an end to a strike sparked by the rape of a nurse in a hospital.
The industrial action started last Thursday after a 25-year-old registered nurse was raped while on the night shift at the Upper Demerara Hospital and her colleague made to look on.
Meanwhile the nurse who was raped at the Upper Demerara Hospital has positively identified some of her belongings and those of her colleague which were stolen during the ordeal.
According to the nurse’s father, following rumours that the man was due to attended court Thursday last and if there was no evidence against him he would have been released, his daughter made a visit to the Mackenzie police station where she identified the items.
According to reliable sources the arrested man called ‘Piggie’ disclosed to the police that he had sold some of the stolen jewellery to a popular jeweller at Linden. He was escorted to the business place where the jewellery was recovered.
The exercise drew the attention of residents who converged in large numbers at the business place to catch a glimpse of the man.
Fellow nursing colleagues will be taking to the street in a peaceful demonstration condemning the attack. This would be followed by the return to active duty both at the Upper Demerara Hospital and Linden Hospital Complex tomorrow.
According to the GPSU Linden representative, Butters, all parties have agreed to the following terms of resumption: the strike will be called off on the 17th September on the 7-3 shift with full resumption within 48 hrs; the status quo ante will prevail; some of the security concerns like grilles will be addressed within three days; transportation will be provided to workers on the night shift to take them to their homes and drivers will not have the option of deciding where to drop them off; the parties will meet within four days of full resumption to discuss the issues of concern, such as an imprest to facilitate travelling to Georgetown, subsistence allowance while on escort duty, current pick-up points of staff and a shift system.
Meanwhile, an armed guard will be stationed during the 10 pm – 6 am shift with effect from today and a three-day shift system will be put in place.
The nurses had complained that when they are on the night shift, they are not taken to their homes as the hospital bus would put them off at specific points and was restricted from going into some areas.
In addition, Butters said, it was agreed that should the nurses turn up for work and are not satisfied that the guard is “able bodied” they should not stay on duty but report the matter to their immediate supervisor.
He expressed gratitude to the Regional Democratic Council and its administration for being very supportive during the period of the strike.
