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Franklyn willing to talk with PM

by Anesta Henry
3 min read
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General Secretary of the Unity Workers’ Union (UWU) Caswell Franklyn is open to discussions with Prime Minister Mia Mottley regarding the ongoing strike by nurses now her Barbados Labour Party (BLP) has been re-elected to office, but says the healthcare workers will remain off the job until their issues are resolved.

Although stressing that the Director-General, Human Resources, in the Ministry of the Public Service holds responsibility for dealing with industrial relations in the public service, he told Barbados TODAY he would be willing to attend a meeting with the Prime Minister if the opportunity arises.

“If the Prime Minister puts herself in a meeting, I would be a fool to say I wouldn’t be meeting with her. I am saying she shouldn’t be there but if she comes, I would meet with her,” Franklyn said.

The nurses, who have been engaged in industrial action for almost two months, are demanding better working conditions and contractual arrangements.

Franklyn said the UWU’s nurses’ committee will host a press conference on Tuesday to speak about the way forward.

“People think that this is Caswell Franklyn pushing something but I am just a servant. I follow directions and, unlike other unions, I do not make decisions on behalf of the workers. The workers make decisions and I try to comply with their wishes,” the trade union leader said.

“This is now going on eight weeks that they are on strike. You really believe that if I had called nurses out on an eight-week strike, you think they would come out? They decided that they were coming out and they couldn’t do it without the blessing of the union, and it is as simple as that.

“As a matter of fact, we got people from every political camp … so it is not a political issue, this is an issue dealing with their livelihood, their profession, their career,” Franklyn added.

On January 7 and then again on 17, scores of nurses led by Franklyn took to the streets of The City to pressure the Government to address longstanding grievances. They want increased pay, health insurance, improved nurse-to-patient ratios, remuneration for degrees, and continuous training.

The nurses began industrial action in December 2021 after their colleagues at the Geriatric Hospital received a memo from the hospital management informing them of the commencement of weekly testing for unvaccinated employees in accordance with the Safe Zone Directive No. 2, 2021.

Even though it was confirmed by then Health Minister Lt. Col. Jeffrey Bostic that the memo was sent prematurely, the strike continued.

Prime Minister Mottley previously condemned the action and served notice that nurses’ pay would be docked for as long as they withheld their labour. (AH)

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