The majority of emergency department nurse have joined the General Workers’ Union after many switched over from the MUMN, GWU secretary general Josef Bugeja said.

There are 90 nurses working at Mater Dei Hospital’s Accident and Emergency Department.

The Malta Union of Midwives and Nurses (MUMN) is the largest union in the healthcare sector. Bugeja would not say why these nurses had switched from the MUMN to the GWU. He indicated, however, that the nurses had become unhappy with the attitude that MUMN has adopted towards the hospital management.

The nurses’ union has been highly critical of the health authorities, saying that nurses were not trained or equipped to deal with the Covid-19 crisis. A number of healthcare workers have rebutted these claims and accused the union of politicising the situation.

The GWU boss said it would be a mistake to instil doubts in the health authorities managing the crisis. “These workers chose the GWU because it embraces the principle of conciliation and unity not confrontation,” Bugeja said, adding that we should trust the professionals.