Life is a circle, Mr Achong

THE EDITOR: Mr Achong, life is a circle. In 2002 and 2003, you were granted two ex-parte injunctions against medical officers by the Industrial Court. They both failed and cost the treasury in excess of one million dollars. Now you admit that when you did the job against the doctors, you were appreciated. But now that you are siding with the ALNG workers, you are being shunned. The majority of RHA doctors are employed on contracts. As a result, it was said in many places, including Parliament, that contract employees have no right to union representation. And you, as Minister of Labour said nothing in Parliament. Today, you are now saying that contract workers at ALNG have rights to be represented by a trade union.

The RHA took the issue of contract employment even further. They decided that they would not meet with the doctors’ representatives. Instead, they wanted to meet each doctor on an individual basis. They wanted to have over 300 individual negotiations. And the Ministry of Labour, under your leadership sanctioned this management response. And it was three days after the process of individual negotiations was started that you applied for and were granted an ex-parte injunction, for the second time, demanding that persons with no contracts of employment must return to work. As a former Industrial Court Judge, you must have known that persons without a contract of employment cannot be at the workplace. Today you have stated that it is easier for the workers to form one unified body to meet the 14 or so sub-contractors. This is a far fry from each individual contract worker negotiating with each of the 14 sub-contractors separately.

Further, you were present in Parliament when the Amendment to the RHA Bill was passed. Whilst you agreed with Dr Fuad Khan that the employer cannot choose a trade union for its employees, you also voted in favour of the Bill. But then, I will now accept your explanation that you were misled. It is also foolhardy to hear a lecturer in government affairs of UWI state that promises made in the manifestos and on political platforms do not necessary have to be implemented. This reminds me of a consumer affairs person advising householders to make a budget but that they do not necessarily have to follow that budget. And to suppress the doctors, “Doctors” from Cuba and the United Nations Volunteers were imported. Needless to say these doctors are from countries that are in more need and also from medical schools that are not internationally recognised. In fact, a new registration body was created to register them. And over 85 percent of locally trained doctors followed the advice of the then Minister of Health and left the country. Similarly for the nurses, who are leaving in droves.

It will be interesting now to hear Mr Achong’s views on the importation of foreign doctors, whilst local doctors were shunned and encouraged to leave Trinidad and Tobago by the “little idiot,” his former Cabinet colleague. Now that you are attempting to clear your conscience, let us hope that you follow your heart and do the right things. But seriously, Mr Achong, life is a circle that will always return to haunt you. Workers, whether full-time, part-time, contract, all have a right to union representation and collective bargaining. Development of a nation requires development of its people. When over 85 percent of your local doctors and a greater majority of your nurses are encouraged to leave, egged on by a “little idiot” and “illiterate followers,” how will the health sector and thus the nation develop?

PHILIP AYOUNG-CHEE
Urological Surgeon