Donations continue to pour in for scores of striking nurses who have had their pay docked as they continue industrial action.
While not giving an update on how much money has so far been deposited into the Republic Bank (Barbados) Limited account that was set up to assist the health care workers, leader of the Unity Workers’ Union (UWU) Caswell Franklyn said people continued to give.
“I want to thank God there are a number of Barbadians who provided funds and foodstuff for these nurses,” he reported Thursday at the end of a one-hour march through The City by scores of nurses who are protesting late pay, deplorable work conditions and planned safe zones, among other issues.
A week leading up to Christmas last year, some nurses who had been off the job two weeks prior alleged that Government had a hand in their bank accounts being frozen or a portion of salary being deducted after being added to their bank accounts. Government has denied the accusation.
Franklyn at the time said nurses were finding it difficult to make ends meet and a bank account was established (account #108291982001) at the Warrens branch of Republic Bank.
He had estimated that about $50,000 would provide comfortable assistance for the dozens of nurses through the period of the industrial action.
Following Thursday’s march, a grateful Franklyn reported that both cash and kind donations were still being received.
“Only yesterday some person brought in chickens and canned food, but we already have some persons to allocate them to . . . . We are very grateful. The country is seeing the plight of these nurses. I [got] a call from Canada yesterday, Quebec to be exact, where the lady said to me her mother was in the hospital for four months, even though she died in the
end but she had excellent care. She is sending CA$500. So you see this has gone far and wide,” said the outspoken union leader.
He added that the cut in nurses’ pay had affected their ability to pay union dues last month.
“So pay day was the 17th and I was expecting the dues to come in, as usual, a couple days after pay day, but up to the Monday it was not on the account. They think they are going to starve us out,” Franklyn said.
The nurses have been on strike for just over five weeks.
Accusing other labour unions of “paying lip service” to the nurses over the years, Franklyn highlighted Minister of Health Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic’s acknowledgment that some of the nurses’ issues had been ongoing for over a decade.
Lamenting that the health care system in Barbados was “limping along”, Franklyn said “many nights the hospital don’t have people to man the wards. I don’t like that”.
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