UWU-represented nurses going ahead with protest march

Scores of nurses are expected to take to the streets on Thursday to force Government to address their concerns, including the need for better working conditions and increased pay, health insurance, improved nurse-to-patient ratios, remuneration for degrees and continuous training.

Leader of the Unity Workers Unity (UWU) Caswell Franklyn confirmed to Barbados TODAY on Wednesday evening that the protest will go ahead.

He said while he had repeatedly expressed his willingness to continue negotiations with Director General, Human Resources, Ministry of the Public Service Gail Atkins, she has not been forthcoming. Atkins’ office has responsibility for human resource functions, including negotiations, for all departments in the civil service.

“People think that every time an election is on that the country stops working. The country doesn’t stop working because of an election. MTW [Ministry of Transport and Works] still works, Transport Board still works, doctors at the hospital, the police still arrest people for crime, the courts work, everything works,” he said. “So, there is nothing to stop the negotiations in the public service from going on while an election is on. The civil service is still functioning and so too should the director general.”

Franklyn, who was flanked by several nurses readying placards at the UWU’s Belleville office for Thursday’s march, told Barbados TODAY that having received the go-ahead from the COVID Monitoring Unit, the nurses would make their presence felt.

Due to COVID-19 restrictions, the cap on the numbers allowed to march is 100.

However, the outspoken trade unionist said many more nurses from his union and their allies are expected to line the streets of Bridgetown.

The march will move off at 10 a.m. from Cheapside and move in the direction of City Centre Mall, onto Broad Street, pass the Parliament buildings and end at Freedom Park.

In response to criticism that the striking nurses are endangering lives by their ongoing strike action, Franklyn said: “If we wanted to put people’s lives in danger we would have called out more nurses from more critical areas. We are still allowing the hospital to operate despite the executive chairman trying to pretend that things are okay. We know they are not because some wards do not have a nurse.” (KC)