PSA set to fire up,

After a week of quiet, the Public Services Association (PSA) is again threatening to intensify protest action this week at the Eric Williams Medical Sciences Complex (EWMSC), Mt Hope.

This, in an effort to get the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) to reinstate two PSA representatives who the union said were “illegally dismissed.”

At a media briefing last Tuesday, the PSA gave Health Minister John Rahael a two-day deadline to meet on the April 25 dismissal of two PSA staff representatives at EWMSC. Rahael subsequently said he will not meet with the union and the matter was for the NCRHA to deal with.

In an interview yesterday, PSA first-vice-president Stephen Thomas refuted statements made by CEO Charles Mitchell, who said the PSA was “precipitous” in taking protest action because the dismissal was referred to the Labour Ministry for arbitration.

Thomas said the Labour Ministry has 14 days to complete conciliation with both parties. The PSA referred the matter to the ministry at the end of April.

He said both parties could have asked for an extension of the talks but no official of the NCRHA had the “decency or courtesy” to inform the ministry they could not attend the two meetings scheduled.

Thomas said the Labour Ministry contacted the NCRHA by telephone and letter. He said the NCRHA could have also written to the union about having bilateral talks but this was not done. He said the period for conciliation has expired.

“The matter is totally unresolved and the union will take whatever measures we can to resolve the matter.”

Thomas said the union also never told Rahael the protest would stop. He said the minister had asked for time to get the facts and the union was willing to meet last Monday.

Despite the protests on different days last month, Thomas criticised the NCRHA for not sending out letters of permanent appointment, and putting systems in place to stop equipment and food supplies from going out of the EWMSC without authorisation.

Thomas said the NCRHA was instead wasting taxpayers’ dollars to hire additional security to intimidate workers.