Health workers on NCRHA arrears payment: 100% not enough

The TT Registered Nurses Association (TTRNA) continued their protests for better pay and working conditions at the Port of Spain General Hospital on Wednesday. Association president Idi Stuart said the nurses were demanding respect from Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh and the Regional Health Authorities (RHA).

A release from the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) earlier Wednesday said 100 per cent of arrears for increments would be paid to its health workers between June 30 to July 4.

In an interview with Newsday at Wednesday's protest, however, Stuart said that payment only affected one RHA.

TTRNA second vice president of the Letitia Cox said, “They may think it is over because NCRHA got their promised increment payments, but it is not all about money.

“We have a lot of nursing personnel and health workers on temporary employment. The best clap and the best thanks you could give your health workers is job security.”

Cox said health workers were at risk in the hospitals to every known disease, not just covid19.

“We cannot continue to save lives every day and be unsure if we have a job tomorrow. We can’t go to the bank to get a mortgage or a loan for a car. We should feel secure.”

Stuart also said there was a long-standing issue of hiring nurses from other countries.

“We have a number of nursing personnel currently at home awaiting employment and it’s very peculiar that the government still insists to go abroad.”

He said nurses were leaving for “greener pastures,” because of their inability to find work in TT.

“We are losing our best and brightest.”

Stuart said the TTRNA delivered a proposal to the Ministry of Health two months ago requesting special benefits for health-care workers given the covid19 pandemic. Those benefits included new health insurance, death benefits and a hazard allowance. He said, to date, the association had not received any feedback.

As the nurses in the protest chanted, “(If) compensation good for the teachers. It good for the nurses,” while they marched through the hospital grounds.

Stuart said nurses were upset that other groups that did not ask for anything were acknowledged while nurses were not.

“We are not blaming them for anything,” he said, adding it was sad that even during a pandemic, no one felt it necessary to offer health workers basic benefits.

Karlene Thomas, a nurse with over 20 years of service, said, “It’s not just the nurses. We need to work as a team.”

She said all health care workers, including kitchen staff, and domestic cleaners were also in need of compensation.

Food delivery worker Enid Mc Donald said “We are working without proper PPE. We just want what is due to us, which is our backpay.”

Contacted for comment, acting CEO of the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) Salisha Baksh said “The NWRHA has arranged to meet with the TTRNA early next week to address some of the issues that they have been addressing in the media and with their members.”