[UPDATED] Long overdue – Unions respond as PM promises bonus $ to health workers

Representatives of medical workers are pleased with the Prime Minister’s promise to instruct the Finance Minister to make a special payment to Ministry of Health workers in the next budget.

But they are also calling for other “debts owed” to those workers.

At a PNM national public meeting at the Belmont Community Centre on Tuesday night, Dr Rowley made the announcement even as public-sector wage negotiations seemed to have collapsed over the government’s latest and final four per cent increase offer.

Public Services Association president Leroy Baptiste described the move as “long overdue,” but questioned the timing and platform of the announcement.

“The health-care workers gave yeoman service. When people were running from covid, they had to meet and treat with it frontally and go the extra mile.

“But I would want the PM to also quickly address, in a meaningful way, the outstanding salaries negotiations on behalf of public officers because, my God, that’s long overdue.”

He said people’s purchasing power had been eroded over the years so negotiations needed to be treated with fairness, expediency and equity. He hoped Rowley would direct the Finance Minister and Chief Personnel Officer to remove the zero per cent values in the negotiation period, as it would deny retirees an adjustment in their pensions.

Idi Stuart, president of the TT Registered Nurses Association (TTRNA), told Newsday the association was thankful for the public statement acknowledging the efforts of the medical community, but such promises were made to the TTRNA in 2020 and nationally in 2021.

“Therefore, we hope it finally materialises in (the) 2022 budget statement.

“Additionally, and more importantly, the association also hopes provisions are made in the upcoming Finance Minister’s budget to pay the tremendous debt owed to nursing and midwifery personnel who are owed millions of dollars in increments and gratuity payments for periods of service already worked for over the past three years.”

He also reminded Finance Minister Colm Imbert of his statements in the 2021 budget presentation to make all nursing and midwifery personnel permanently employed.

“This was also solidified by the recent Industrial Court ruling, which also mandated the regional health authorities to correct the thousands of unethical temporary contracts that our members had been placed on for decades.”

During the meeting Rowley said the people in the health service “stood in the breach” for the people of TT and defended Chief Medical Officer Dr Roshan Parasram.

“You all don’t understand what it means to be in a position of responsibility where death is the outcome, death is out portion, a virus killing millions of people around the world.

“And it is your responsibility to make the call and you buckle down and stay there and say you are going to fight for the people of TT, in the very room where the virus killing people. There families can’t come to them, but health officers in the room there with them and handling them.”

He said those people had family members who were concerned for them, worried they would contract covid19 and die, as did millions of people around the world. Therefore, he would not listen to any objection to the special payment because the government could afford it.

“It is not to say that we do not recognise what other people have done, but those who walked the extra mile and had the extra exposure, it is on that basis alone. And they rose to the occasion. Our health service in a pandemic, in the pandemic of 2020, 2021, our health service was there for all the people of TT and we must be a grateful people.”

Minister of Health Terrence Deyalsingh spoke about the proposed bonus payment during a virtual news conference on Wednesday.

He said, “I must thank the Prime Minister for recognising the heroic efforts of our health-care team.”

He added that the public should await the 2022/2023 budget presentation by Imbert for the details of what Rowley had spoken about.

“I will surely be having some discussions with the Minister of Finance, now that the honourable Prime Minister has given that instruction.”

THA Secretary of Health Dr Faith BYisrael was unaware of the PM’s announcement when contacted by Newsday on Wednesday.

However, she said: “More money for hard-working health-care workers? Why not?”
(With reporting by Clint Chan Tack)

This story was originally published with the title "PM promises bonus $ to Ministry of Health workers for service during pandemic" and has been adjusted to include additional details. See original post below.

The Prime Minister has promised to instruct the Finance Minister to make a special payment to Ministry of Health workers in the next budget.

He made the announcement at a PNM National Public Meeting at the Belmont Community Centre on Tuesday night saying the people in the health service “stood in the breech” for the people of TT and defending Chief Medical officer Dr Roshan Parasram.

“You all don’t understand what it means to be in a position of responsibility where death is the outcome, death is our portion, a virus killing millions of people around the world.

“And it is your responsibility to make the call and you buckle down and stay there and say you are going to fight for the people of TT in the very room where the virus killing people. Their families can’t come to them but health officers in the room there with them and handling them.”

He said those people had family members who were concerned for them, worried they would contract covid19 and die as did millions of people around the world. Therefore, he would not listen to any objection to the special payment because the government could afford it.

“It is not to say that we do not recognise what other people have done but those who walked the extra mile and had the extra exposure, it is on that basis alone. And they rose to the occasion. Our health service in a pandemic, in the pandemic of 2020, 2021, our health service was there for all the people of TT and we must be a grateful people.”