Doctors reject ‘inferior’ contracts

Although contracts have been prepared for senior doctors willing to accept the terms and conditions offered by the Regional Health Authorities (RHAs), the Medical Professionals Association of TT (MPATT) yesterday described it as “inferior” to the old contracts. The RHAs have given the doctors until March 10 to accept the offer, or they will be out of work. Consultants and registrars were expected to begin withholding overtime work from yesterday after giving the Joint Negotiating Team (JNT) of RHAs and the ministry two weeks notice to enhance the proposal rejected by doctors on February 18.

JNT chairman Imtiaz Ahamad told Newsday that the new contracts were finalised on Thursday and were awaiting collection and the doctors’ signatures. He said the contracts were at the Human Resource Departments of the RHAs. A letter has been sent to the doctors’ representatives reiterating that the offer presented last month was final and for them to be guided accordingly.  Acting President of MPATT, Lakhan Roop, outlined areas in which the new contract was inferior. He referred to a reduction in compensatory days for doctors working on call every day of the week. Providing an example, Roop said doctors who worked all weekends and public holidays in December, as well as New Year’s Day, were previously entitled to four compensatory days, but under the new contract they would get only three days.

Roop said the contract did not address overtime compensation, compensatory days, pension, housing and basic salary. (These were the same areas on which the doctors and JNT could not agree). The doctors are asking for consultants to receive a basic salary on par with workers in the same range (64), such as assistant Director of Public Prosecutions, who get between $15,000 and $16,000. The JNT is offering $11,500. They are also dissatisfied that overtime coverage is not a guaranteed part of salary. Roop said the new contracts required doctors to “document every patient seen and at what time and get the nurse on the ward to sign it.” He said it was unacceptable for a worker at a lower range to be signing the doctors’ attendance form. Dr Roop said doctors plan to write to the RHAs rejecting the contracts.