The Health Ministry had again referred to hospital patients to hide its incompetence and lack of energy in the call for recognition for nursing aides which it had made, the General Workers’ Union said. It said it had been trying for long to find a solution but the ministry had chosen to conclude an agreement with another union about requests which it itself had made and which were being discussed.

Five weeks after its call to the ministry for recognition as the representative of nursing aides, the ministry was still considering this call, the GWU said. Now the ministry was saying that because it had ordered industrial action, patients would suffer hardship.

The union said its directives were aimed at the Health Division, not at patients.

The ministry had in fact used the suspension of the directives some weeks ago for its ulterior motives. No responsible union could wait an eternity for a decision.