The General Workers’ Union has extended its industrial action directives at St Vincent de Paul hospital.

The union said its complaints over the lack of cleaning staff and the delays to give cleaning allowances, had led to the extension of the directives.

Starting today, and in those wards with only one cleaner, the floors should not be washed but swept; the corridors can be swept but not washed; garbage bags are not to be lifted or taken out of the wards; trolleys with food leftovers are not to be taken outside; plates should not be washed either in the morning or in the evening if there is only one worker per ward; no work is to be done outside the wards except to bring in the food trolleys and, employees should only accept orders from their supervisor and not from the nursing staff, the officer in charge of the ward or the DMNs.

The directives affect hospital auxiliaries, general hands, charwomen, health assistants, assistant care workers, irrespective of their grade.

Other hospital employees have been told not to carry out any work usually done by cleaning employees.