EHS leaves some workers in pain

Sunday Newsday was told that in the Cross Crossing, San Fernando base workers who arrived at 7 am, were greeted by armed policemen and security personnel.

Several workers broke down in tears after they were told by GMRTT officials that their names were not on the work roster and they had to leave the compound.

Only 96 of the 289 workers had signed with GMRTT, and were allowed to work yesterday.

The majority of workers had expressed concerns about their job security and the terms of the contract from GMRTT which require them to work longer hours for less pay.

The workers had crippled the ambulance service for three days last week after they staged a sick-out. On Friday, aggrieved workers had delivered a letter to Prime Minister Patrick Manning, requesting his intervention in their predicament.

However GMRTT’s CEO, Paul Anderson, told Sunday Newsday yesterday that the police presence was part of a normal procedure in ensuring "the safety of everyone involved."

Anderson said he was not aware of any workers being sent away. "Those workers who signed on with us came out this morning and everything is running smoothly," he said.

Saying that they had ambulances working from 7 am yesterday, he assured that they had sufficient staff and equipment to provide ambulance coverage throughout the country. He added that GMRTT was still processing applications. However, Sunday Newsday was told that there were only 12 ambulances operating on the nation’s roads and three ambulance bases were shut down in Princes Town, San Fernando and Port-of-Spain.

EHS team leader, Peter Celestine, told Sunday Newsday that some of the workers had been with EHS since its inception five years ago and when it was transferred to South West Regional Health Authority (SWRHA) in 2003. "These workers are very distraught over this," he added. He said Manning had organised a meeting tomorrow with the Minister of Health, John Rahael and EHS members. Celestine said depending on the outcome of that meeting they will decide their next move.

GMRTT is a joint venture comprising Amalgamated Security Services Ltd and Global Medical Response, a subsidiary of American Medical Response. Its management contract is for three years.