Public Service Association (PSA) president Watson Duke has signalled workers’ intention to take action against the South West Regional Health Authority, (SWRHA) starting today.
“Who don’t hear will feel,” Duke warned as he addressed health workers at the San Fernando General Hospital yesterday.
“We met the management a month ago and we have been talking about these things. Tomorrow (today), we intend to speak to the management differently and more vocally at SWRHA.
“Tomorrow we will speak to them in a way they will understand. As the old people would say, ‘Those who don’t hear does feel,’” he added.
He refused to give details of the intended action, saying only that it would resemble the recent situation at the Sangre Grande Hospital where workers refused to work, leaving a skeletal staff for emergency cases only.
Speaking to the media outside the Accident and Emergency Department, Duke said the action stemmed from the violation of a 1974 court agreement which mandated all shift workers to have two consecutive days off before returning to duty. He said they were now only getting one day off and were not being paid overtime.
He added: “Throughout the last five years and more, the SWRHA has been blatantly disregarding the rights of these employees to have two clear days off.
“We met with them about a month ago and we started talking about it, only to be surprised this morning that they have already created a new roster, forcing people to work 12-hour shifts: Seven to seven, eight to eight and saying it is mandatory.
“Also in the workers’ contracts, there is a part that says apart from having two clear days off, they must not work more than eight hours consecutive shifts, except that it is overtime.
“They are now legalising 12-hour shifts. We are saying no to that. We want our eight-hour shifts back.”
He also called for a shuttle service to take workers to and from work during the night time as it was unsafe for them to travel.
Duke said workers at the RHAs had no proper representation in the past, blaming it on the PSA’s past leadership. However, he said, he was committed to restoring that relationship.
Contacted yesterday, SWRHA CEO Anil Gosine said he was not informed by Duke of any action to be taken at the hospital and would have to inquire on what grounds that action was being taken.