Vaccine programme hit by striking nurses

Head of the Unity Workers’ Union, Senator Caswell Franklyn, says he is prepared to up the ante as it relates to ongoing strike by the nurses he represents, making it clear that unless a suitable agreement is arrived at, his membership at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital will be joining those at polyclinics who have already downed their tools.

This move, however, has been deemed as unreasonable by Minister of Health and Wellness, The Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic, who said the protest, which spans well beyond the issues of the impending safe zones, was having a serious impact on the national vaccination programme as well as patient care at the polyclinics.

Franklyn charged that Government was playing fast and loose with patient care by “not taking the concerns of the nurses seriously”. He made it clear that the nurses were in it for the long haul and had no intention of relenting from their position unless an accord was struck.

“The nurses are prepared for the long haul simply because they were being mistreated for too long and right now the nurses are prepared to let the Government bring in Cubans and Ghanaians or whoever because they are fed up and they are not taking this abuse any longer. I am stepping up this action and I will be advising nurses at the QEH that are members of my union, not to come out to work. We have been trying to keep the health system running, but Government doesn’t want that. If they don’t do something about these issues, we are going to escalate the strike,” Franklyn said. (CLM)

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