Five per cent pay hike…Public servants
‘sick-out’ to continue retaliation
Staffers of the country’s hospitals have decided to take their protest action against the Government-imposed five per cent increase a notch further by embracing a union call to start a two-day ‘sick-out’.
Patients at the West Demerara Hospital awaiting medical care yesterday.
Soon after an announcement by Cabinet Secretary, Dr Roger Luncheon, of a retroactive increase of no more than five per cent a few weeks ago, protest action was engaged by some public servants, including staffers of the GPHC, the West Demerara Regional Hospital and the Linden Hospital Complex. Officials of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) – the entity which represents a wide cross section of public servants – were also involved in protesting the five per cent pay hike.
This publication was informed that the latest move to engage a sick-out is premised on the need to emphasise the importance of public servants, hence the need for them to be granted at least a 15 per cent pay increase.
At the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC) yesterday there were reports that most of the senior nurses were fully embracing the sick-out while the junior nurses were tasked with manning the wards. The Linden Hospital Complex sported a similar atmosphere, although there were reports that some staffers were unwilling to fully support the industrial action for fear of being victimised.
In fact, according to GPSU’s Region 10 representative, Maurice Butters, some staffers were even threatened by the management of the hospital that should they stay away from work they will be recorded as absent. Butters disclosed that this state of affairs is in fact a longstanding matter. He explained that public servants are entitled to have three sick days off, after which they are required to submit a certificate of sickness from a doctor.
However, the Union Representative said that he was informed that management of the hospital was some time ago instructed to record as absent any staffer who fails to report to work during the course of the two-day sick-out.
According to Butters, the union has been seeking for close to four months to have the matter addressed, thus far to no avail. Nevertheless, he asserted yesterday that some public servants in Linden are involved in the action with a view of having the five per cent increase reviewed.
A visit to the outpatient section of the West Demerara Hospital yesterday revealed scores of patients waiting for medical attention. A young nurse was on duty delivering care as per normal. Other sections throughout the hospital’s complex displayed similar activities.
But according to a senior official who has endorsed the reported protest action, the sick-out is very much active. The official explained that strategic measures were put in place to ensure that no patient seeking medical care is turned away.
Another senior official who also professed to have knowledge of a plan to have the sick-out, denied awareness that it had started during this publication’s visit yesterday morning.
“We are here now and we are trying to see who are here to ensure that things are put in place…but we are embracing the sick-out,” said an official who even sought to express disappointment that the Public Service Minister, Dr Jennifer Westford was vocal enough to say that public servants should be happy with the increase.
“It is unreasonable, it is insensitive because if you check things on the market they have gone up…she (the Minister) did not have to say that, she could have said it in a different way,” the official opined.