NWRHA workers get appointment letters

THE UNREST at the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) stemming from workers’  insecurity about their job status should be put to rest since all letters of permanent appointment are expected to be distributed today. NWRHA corporate communications manager Charmaine Codrington said last Wednesday that more than 430 letters were sent out and a further 270 were awaiting a signature. She said they were due to be sent out yesterday morning. “We expect 1,000 in total to be distributed by today,” she said. A cross-section of workers covering 80 categories will receive letters including, ambulance drivers, biochemists, cleaners and dental surgery technicians. Codrington said the criteria being used is the duration of temporary employment. Priority was given to workers with five years employment.

She commended the work done by the Human Resource team which worked through last weekend and on the Spiritual Shouter Baptist Day last Tuesday to ensure speedy delivery of the letters. NWRHA workers had protested for the past two weeks for permanent employment for persons with two or more years continuous service. They had been waiting to receive letters of permanent appointment since 2000. Workers were also angered by unfair appointments and promotions in the Human Resources Department and nonpayment of outstanding salary arrears resulting from the Public Services Association negotiations for the period January 2002 to December 2004.  The executive of the Public Services Association (PSA) met with the management of the NWRHA on March 16 to resolve these issues.

Another protest took place Monday after workers received word that letters of permanent appointment were prepared only for nurses and the CEO of the NWRHA, Glen Rajack had to get permission from the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry before letters could be sent out to other categories of workers. Another meeting took place between the PSA President Jennifer Baptiste-Primus, Permanent Secretary with responsibility for RHAs, Reynold Cooper and Rajack. The NWRHA subsequently decided to distribute letters by length of service instead of categories of workers and was instructed to report back to the Ministry with the quantum of the arrears owed.