The Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) has condemned the decision to arbitrarily deduct from the salaries of the nurses who staged protests in March to push for the removal of the Linden Complex Hospital (LHC) Chief Executive Officer, Rudolph Small.
According to a letter sent to the ministry’s Permanent Secretary Malcom Watkins, Linden nurses were informed in April of “apparent” absences from duty between the period March 2nd and 22th, 2021, without any adequate excuses. As such they were accused of committing an offence and were told that the penalty would be a warning, fine or dismissal, depending on the circumstance.
In February, 2021 Small had made disparaging statements about nurses when he stated that they (the nurses) would clock in at the LHC and then leave for extramarital rendezvous. The Ministry of Health (MoH), initially dismissed Small but this decision was later rescinded. Small had apologized for his words but the nurses and GPSU were adamant that he be removed. The nurses had staged daily industrial action in the month of March.
The GPSU, in their letter dated July 14th, said they are perplexed and confused that decisions have been made even though management failed to grant the nurses their constitutional rights by granting a fair hearing in the presence of their representatives.
“Suffice it to say they were not given the opportunity to challenge the purported absence from duty, but were met instead with arbitrary deductions from their salaries, during the period when these workers are hard hit by rising costs as a result of the economic effects of the deadly COVID-19 pandemic,” the letter said, before going on to describe the Gov’t’s decision as “ignoble, unprincipled, illegal and borders on the contempt for the principles of natural justice.”
GPSU voiced their condemnation for such a decision noting that the deductions have left some healthcare workers ‘out of pocket” with net salaries between $130 and $1,710, for the month of June 2021. It was also pointed out to the Permanent Secretary that the deductions are in breach of section 18 (3) of the Termination of Employment and Severance Pay Act, which states that no employer may impose a fine or monetary penalty on an employee.
“It is unbelievable and inconceivable that the employer representative would use the unfriendly representative to trample upon workers entrusted with the nation’s care. The GPSU after reviewing the circumstances, charges and actions against the nurses of the Linden Complex Hospital (finds them) as discriminatory and vindictive and strongly represents that deductions from the healthcare workers be refunded, without delay,” the letter concluded.
The letter was signed by the First Vice President, Dawn Gardner, and copied to President Irfaan Ali, Prime Minister Mark Phillips, Attorney General and Minister of Legal Affairs Anil Nandlall, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony and other officials.
