The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has declared it will go public with a comprehensive declaration on continuing unease in the public health care service.
Following a meeting Monday evening with Government officials amid reports that a sickout by nurses stretched into its third day, Acting General Secretary Wayne Walrond said the union will shortly make a statement on the situation in which all nurses are demanding hazard allowances similar to that of their counterparts at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH).
Walrond declined to be drawn into commenting on the reports of Tuesday’s sickout or on recent talks with government officials on the developing situation.
Last Friday, the union declared its intention to ask Government to pay all health care workers a hazard allowance.
Walrond made the call then after nurses at several polyclinics as well as the Geriatric Hospital and the Psychiatric Hospital walked off the job demanding that they too ought to be paid hazard allowances as frontline workers.
On Monday, the head of the private sector Edward Clarke questioned calls for the business community frontline workers such as gas station attendants and customer care representatives, to be given similar allowances.
Clarke said such pay would be unaffordable considering the wide scope of the private sector and in any case, he believed only those providing health and security care in the COVID-19 environment ought to get such pay.
In a separate development, prominent family physician Dr Adrian Lorde called for doctors in private practice who deal with patients daily to be given hazard allowances.
(EJ)
