Wards-maids, attendants out of work

Scores of attendants and wards-maids working at health institutions may be out of work because their positions are redundant in the Public Service and they must re-apply for em-ployment with the Regional Health Authorities.

“Some of us have been sent home with immediate effect,” said Loreen Alleyne, who along with  two other colleagues who work at the Port-of-Spain General Hospital and one from Arima Hospital visited Newsday yesterday complaining about their sudden loss of job security. They expected hospitals to experience a shortage of  attendants (including those who work in the mortuary) and wards-maids because many of them worked in “vacant” positions. “We have to push and lift everything,” said Alleyne, an attendant with many years experience. The attendants and wards-maids are classified as temporary Public Servants because they act when one of their colleagues goes on leave. However, some of them have been working for over ten years. When the period of service is up they would go to the Public Service Commission (PSC) for a letter of “continuation” which they take to the Health Ministry before resuming their duties at hospitals. Recently an attendant who went to the PSC was informed that the RHAs were now responsible for hiring attendants and wards-maids.

Ruth Stewart said the North West Regional Health Authority Human Resource Department told her the NWRHA did not know of plans to transfer the  wards-maids’ and attendants’ positions to the RHAs. She was also informed that the RHA was not obligated to hire them. The group complained that people who applied in 1999-2000 were hired as permanent employees before those working for 12-15 years. Yvette Davis said the Health Ministry should have advised the RHAs to accept the attendants and wards-maids to ensure a smooth transition. She criticised the Ministry’s lack of interest in their plight.