More than a year after its executive council mandated industrial action in the Health Sector, the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has delivered yet another ultimatum to the Minister of Health.
This time the union has said that it would authorize strike action from Wednesday, October 7 if the Minister fails to provide a “positive response” to its demands.
“We will mobilize for full strike actions, if within 72 hours we do not get what we consider as a positive response, to mature and professional decisions focused on an outcome in resolving this matter,” GPSU President Patrick Yarde told a press conference today. Despite repeated requests he refused to state what “a positive response” would entail.
Over the last two weeks Healthcare workers across the country have been protesting for better working conditions and better remuneration. In response, government through the Ministry of Public Service and the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) has accused these workers of engaging in “illegal” and “illegitimate” action before “exhausting proper industrial relations practices and procedures” set out in the Public Utility Undertakings and Public Health Services Act.
Yarde however was adamant that the workers’ actions were legitimate as his union had “served notice on government in excess of one month” as required by the regulation.
“These protest actions are expressions of displeasure at the behaviour of the Administration, with the consistent flouting of agreement and the failure to resolve grievances that were not only repeatedly brought to the management’s attention by the GPSU on behalf of the aggrieved frontline workers, but were accepted as being critical by said management,” he stressed.
Yarde shared with media a letter written to Minister of Health Dr Frank Anthony on September 30, 2020 in which the union reminded that it had approached both the Ministry and the Management of the GPHC about sub-standard working conditions over a period of years.
The letter notes that on January 24, 2019 an ultimatum was issued and that another letter dated August 28, 2019 had reminded that the “ultimatum was still in force”.
The ultimatum in question as reported by Stabroek News was a mandate from its Executive Council that “industrial action [in the Health Sector] be taken from February 28th or anytime thereafter.”
The industrial action had been expected to protest the working conditions and other ill-treatment of health care workers and technicians in the public service, public sector and at the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC).
The Executive Council’s decision had been sent as an ultimatum to the Ministry of Public Health.
The original ultimatum followed efforts to discuss these issues with then Minister within the Ministry of Public Health Dr. Karen Cummings and Chief Executive Officer of GPHC Brigadier (Ret’d) George Lewis. For years they remained unaddressed.
In response to the union’s ultimatum of January 24th, a ministry representative, met with the GPSU on January 31st and agreed to the formation of two committees comprising representative from both sides. Despite these promises, meetings of the committees ceased after an initial February 13th meeting.
Yarde stressed today that the COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated an already bad situation and created “an enormous and extraordinary challenge to health care workers”.
He reminded that several workers have been infected and hospitalized and at least two have died: a Doctor and an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT).
The union stressed that all workers particularly those at GPHC, exposed to dealing with the public and must be categorized as front line workers and claimed that these infections have occurred because of deficiencies in the way the pandemic is being handled.
“It has become necessary for these frontline workers to incur significant expenses to protect themselves and their families from being infected by this deadly virus, because of the callous disregard of uncaring employers,” the union noted.
Vice President Dawn Gardener explained that during a visit to the West Demerara Hospital she was informed that more than a dozen staff members had tested positive for COVID-19 and following a brief quarantine (nine days) were asked to return to work.
“They asked for another test and were told no so many are saying they won’t go back,” Gardner revealed.
Other concerns include that nurses are asked to reuse disposable masks and to take home their gowns to wash and reuse.
“These ludicrous requests are occupational health and safety hazards, which create safety challenges for healthcare personnel and their households,” the union stressed.
According to Yarde, GPSU is particularly peeved that other sectors such as the sugar industry have received a significant injection of revenue when the health sector’s request are being downplayed.
“In this environment of improved revenues, the GPSU expects that no excuses should deter fulfillment and realization of Governments obligation to provide a living wage to the public sector,” he stressed.
