Hospital talks over dismissed guards ‘inconclusive’

A dispute over the firing of unionised security officers of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) remained in stalemate on Friday after talks between the union and management ended without any conclusion, the workers representative said.

The security guards remain terminated as negotiations continue early next week, said Acting General Secretary of the National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) Wayne Walrond.

“I see it as a start of a round of talks,” Walrond told Barbados TODAY. “There was nothing conclusive yet. We committed to meeting further next week. We obviously are discussing the termination of the security officers and we are asking for reinstatement. So you can say talks have commenced, but we are looking to continue those talks early next week.”

He had earlier declared the dismissal of the workers, who were on probation, was whimsical and lacked transparency and fairness.

QEH Chief Operations Officer Louise Bobb who on Thursday declined to comment before the conclusion of the discussions, could not be reached on Friday. (EJ)