RHA workers get group health plan

It also marked the first step toward the signing of a collective agreement between NUGFW and the RHAs.

Speaking at the signing ceremony at the boardroom of the North Central Regional Health Authority, NUGFW’s president general Robert Guiseppi said his union was the first to bring a medical plan into the health sector.

The group health plan has a maximum three-year benefit of $300,000, and includes: converge for hospital care, surgery, anaesthetic, doctors’ visits, physiotherapy and preventable procedures (prostate exam, mammogram, pap smear).

Guiseppi expressed one reservation. He said his union was committed to dealing with the HIV/AIDS situation, and hoped for "extra benefits" in the medical plan to ensure people with HIV/AIDS were treated without discrimination under the NUGFW plan.

Guiseppi used the forum to appeal for the union to have a member on the board of directors of the RHAs. He said NUGFW had a member on the board of the Tobago RHA, and could not understand "if there was some sort of difference in thinking" between Tobago and Trinidad.

As the only union recognised to negotiate for workers in the RHA, Guiseppi said the union should not be left out at any part of the decision-making process. "It is essential you show respect, and confidence in the union."

He said in the past there were many "john quackos" on the board of the RHAs who contributed "nil," and the union had experts in industrial relations. "We deal with industrial relations everyday, a real expert in industrial relations is not on the board. How are you to really ensure a speedy and efficient development of your human resource."

Deputy permanent secretary in the Health Ministry, Ashford Sankar, said the health plan was part of a full collective agreement (2002-2004) for the daily, weekly and hourly rated workers, which he hoped would be finalised in the next three weeks. The agreement covers salaries, allowances and job appraisal.

"Only this week the ministry received final guidelines from the Public Sector Negotiating Committee, which should point the way to get NUGFW and RHAs representatives around the table." Sankar told the media that when the collective agreement was signed, it could be registered in the Industrial Court.

Speaking on behalf of RHAs chairman, Hugh Eastman, chairman of the North West RHA hoped for closer ties with the union after the signing. He said support from the NUGFW would assist the RHA to deliver its mandate for quality care as well as achieve other goals and objectives.