South hospital workers protest

Around 70 daily-rated workers at the San Fernando General Hospital (SFGH) protested between  the hours of 10 am and  noon yesterday, voicing their discontentment towards the South West Regional Health  Authority (SWRHA) and the National Union of Government Federated Workers (NUGFW) for issues pertaining to their employment. The protest consisted of workers from laundry, kitchen, maintenance, carpentry and task force departments.

The  workers marched to the union building yesterday and then to the Regional Health Authority compound. One of the daily rated workers said, “We have been getting very negative responses. It  seems as if nothing has been negotiated yet.” The worker continued, “This is not what we were led to believe, we were getting   different answers from the union.” However, James Lambert, the first deputy vice president of the NUGFW, the negotiating body for the  workers said, “We at the head office did not initiate such action, therefore we cannot say much. To take this action these workers must know something we don’t.” Lambert added, “Negotiations are still in progress, they have been  since 2003.”