GPSU’s Patrick Yarde Meeting LHC top brass And nurses Wednesday

GUYANA PUBLIC SERVICE UNION (GPSU) PRESIDENT MR. PATRICK YARDE IS
SLATED TO MEET WEDNESDAY with the top brass of the Linden Hospital Complex
(LHC) and protesting nurses for wide-ranging talks.
Yarde is trying to stay in the public glare and soak up column inches following the trouncing of
he and his team at Sunday’s Guyana Public Service Cooperative Credit Union Ltd. polls.
Mr. Trevor Benn, one-time Guyana Lands and Survey Commission (GLSC) head, swept Yarde
clean in Sunday’s polls, winning all 12 seats for the credit union’s Committee of Management
(CM).
GPSU is the workers representative for the LHC nurses who are on industrial dispute following
Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Randy Small’s explosive accusation of sexual indiscretion during
working hours by the healthcare workers.
Small told www.aroundtheregions.com in a taped interview that the night-duty nurses escape
from work for rendezvous with their lovers. The CEO’s unverified bombshell revelations
wreaked havoc among nurses and their families, especially those who are married.
Spouses and the community after Small’s interview was reported, viewed nurses with deep
suspicion, while some demanded truthful answers.
Small never anticipated the turmoil and blamed www.aroundtheregions.com for manufacturing
the statements attributed to him. When relevant portions of the interview was aired, the
embattled CEO continued to change his version of the story prompting nurses to demand his
immediate removal from the post at LHC.
Ministry of Health Permanent Secretary (PS) Mr. Malcolm Watkins moved Small and
inexplicably reinstated him less than 24-hours after Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony’s
intervention, with a lukewarm warning.

Sections of society were disappointed government reinstated the controversial CEO.
“What is puzzling is that one man is being allowed to make so much of enemies and the
government fails to understand that this man will be affecting their performance at an election.
It’s (seems) certain that they don’t mind losing a number of voters, as this man seems more
important to them than the hardworking, disrespected nurses,” a source said.
Speaking about the eagerly anticipated meeting, The Upper Demerara/Berbice (Region Ten)
branch of the Guyana Public Service Union (GPSU) Branch Chairman, Mr. Maurice Butters said
that the meeting will address a number of pertinent and critical issues. Butters said that the
meeting is very important as they are determined to continue their protest actin until the CEO is
remove. He said that the nurses remain steadfast and has no intention of stopping their protest
actions. He related that a delegation will be accompanying Yarde for tomorrow’s meeting.
“This is a very important meeting that Mr. Yarde will be having with the nurses at the hospital.
He will be updating them on a number of issues, while at te same time addressing some concerns
ad issues faced by the nurses so we anticipate a very successful meeting,” Butters said.
He disclosed that while in Linden, Yarde will meet with three of the most senior LHC officials.
This, he pointed out is geared towards addressing some urgent concerns of the nurses at the
institution and while they have agreed and accepted his invitation to a meeting, he doesn’t
foresee any undue changes.
“Mr. Yarde will also be meeting with three of the most senior persons at the hospital during his
visit here. He will be meeting with the Admin. manager, the Matron and the Medical
Superintendent (MS) as there are some issues and matters that he plans to address with them as
well,” Butters noted.
Quizzed on whether he thinks that the continuing actions taken by the nurses’ protest will be
successful, Butters said that they are already achieving some amount of success as the CEO has
recognized that the nurses in Region Ten are not walkovers that he can say whatever comes to
his mouth without repercussions.

“He (Rudy Small) I am sure has recognised that Linden and Region Ten is a completely different
place from the other Regions and what other Regions may take, we wouldn’t as he should have
known better and like the nurses, the Union will continue to stand with the nurses until the end as
his actions has consequences and he must stand to the consequences of those actions. We are not
backing down and that is the position of the nurses and their union,” Butters declared.
Butters in a previous interview had said that he is flummoxed by government’s handling of the
labour dispute created by Small unwise statements. He had assured that his union is committed
to supporting protesting employees dedicated to removing “the obstacle to development” from
the bauxite-mining town, Linden.
“The sad thing is that Government continues to talk about forging relationships with Region Ten
– considering its history with the Region – and here they have an opportunity to begin making
things right by quickly removing this man, but instead they are being deliberate and defiant in
their actions.”
He noted that after tomorrow’s meeting the union and nurses will be better able to determine the
way forward, stating that they are confident that at the end of the ‘challenging’ journey the CEO
would be removed. He added that they welcome the recent views expressed by the Gender and
Equality Commission calling for Small’s removal.
“We are confident that ever right-thinking Guyanese and organisation will condone the
CEO’s statements and if the government is serious about respecting women then this is an
opportunity to demonstrate it,’ he stated.