Nursing aides in government hospitals were yesterday ordered by the General Workers Union to stop working in protest against what the GWU said was a “unilateral decision” taken by the Health Division to break an agreement reached with the union earlier this year.

A union statement said that the action was taken on matters regarding how nursing aides register their attendance at work. On 30 January, an agreement had been reached between the division and the union that would have seen, as from 1 March, nursing aides sign in at work rather than use a punch-clock.

Last Wednesday, the day before the agreement was to come into effect, the Health Division went back on its word and ordered the nursing aides to continue to make use of the punch-clock, the union said.

The union was unable to make contact with the authorities and yesterday ordered the nursing aides to abide by the 30 January agreement. In fact, the workers registered their attendance by signing on the punch card because the attendance sheets were not made available. The nursing aides were then ordered not to do their jobs until the attendance sheets were provided.

Ministry condemns

industrial action

In a counter-statement issued last night, the Health Ministry condemned the industrial action ordered by the GWU as “irresponsible” and “needless”.

The ministry said it wanted to inform the public that the whole issue centres on the Health Division’s decision that nursing aides use a punch clock when entering or leaving work.

The ministry said that while the Health Division had previously agreed to change the punch clock system and allow nursing aides to sign in or out of work, recent developments had changed the stipulated plans.

The reason for the reversal in plans was the coming into effect, on 28 February, of clause 8.4 in the collective agreement for government workers, which calls for mechanical systems to be used to register the attendance of government workers.

Thus, the ministry insisted that the workers should continue to punch in and out of work while carrying out their duties in full since the patients would be suffering for no valid reason whatsoever.