MoH targets Nurses’ salaries

THE GUYANA PUBLIC SERVICE UNION (GPSU) WILL SEEK LEGAL ADVICE on
what the labour body believes is illegal deductions from Linden Hospital Complex (LHC)
nurses’ salaries in the weeks-long industrial dispute involving controversial Chief Executive
Officer (CEO) Mr. Randy Small.
GPSU Branch Chairman in the bauxite-mining town Mr. Maurice Butters during a telephone
interview with www.aroundtheregions.com admitted at the time that he only heard about the
circulation of the Ministry of Health’s missive to the LHC nurses.
“Last night I was told that there are these letters and I have asked for the letters to review it after
which the Union (GPSU) will take whatever appropriate action that is needed. We will also have
to seek legal advice on the matter,” Butters told this media house in the telephone interview.
The decision by the Health Ministry is seen as a latest attempt to intimidate nurses who
commenced industrial action last month in a bid to remove Small as CEO after he told
www.aroundtheregions.com in a taped interview that night shift nurses routinely escape from
duty to meet their lovers away from the LHC compounds.
When Small’s allegations became public, he denied ever making those controversial statements
in an online press statement. This media house released the relevant section of the interview
where the CEO spoke with me, Rawle Nelson, making the assertions.
Small changed his story and got one prominent government Minister to back him publicly during
a meeting with the LHC nurses. www.aroundtheregions.com stuck to its original script, and it
appears that the Minister, has since have a change of heart about the veracity of the CEO’s
statements.

Meanwhile, Health Minister, Dr Frank Anthony, has been mum during the entire saga and has
left it to Prime Minister, Guyana Defence Force (GDF) Brigadier (ret’d) Mr. Mark Philips;
Public Works Minister, Bishop Juan Edgehill, and the Ministry’s Permanent Secretary (PS) Mr.
Malcolm Watkins to be his voice.
Watkins had removed Small as CEO, but Anthony reversed the decision the next day.
www.aroundtheregions.com understands that Vice President, Mr. Bharrat Jagdeo and Anthony’s
Advisor, Dr Leslie Ramsammy oppose the CEO’s removal.
Ramsammy, according to knowledgeable sources, was influential in getting the US-based and
educated Small to return to Guyana to help strengthen the public health sector.
But Small continues causing controversies with his ill-advised statements and verbal attacks on
female nurses. His loose lips forced the Government to reportedly remove him from Leonora
Hospital in Region Three (Essequibo Islands/West Demerara) and the Diamond Diagnostic
Centre in Region Four (Demerara/Mahaica) for similar indiscretions.
The government insists it will not negotiate with the nurses if they persist with their industrial
action and both sides remain steadfast in their position.
Watkins’ decision to target their purse is interpreted as the final proverbial straw to help break
the camels’ back. He however, used several surrogates to sign the controversial missives,
according to LHC nurses who compared the signatures on their correspondences.
According to the letter to the Principal Assistant Secretary (Finance), “[i]t was brought to
Administration’s attention that you have been absent from duty on the undermentioned dates
without leave or adequate excuse. Please be advised that the Administration has taken a serious
view on this matter, and as a result, a decision has been taken for the…absent days to be
deducted from your salary”.
It reminded the LHC employees the offence is “absent from duty without leave and without
adequate excuse” further stating that according to local industrial regulations, the first breach of
the offense will be a warning; the second a fine or dismissal, and the third dismissal.

“Please ensure that you make every effort to improve on your attendance since your persistent
absence from duty is affecting the smooth functioning of the delivery of services of the
institution,” the missive on behalf of PS Watkins encouraged.
The nurses, however, are outraged.
“…[W]e will fight it out to the end because we know that giving up will result in discrimination
and victimisation,” one of them told this media house.
The LHC nurses were under no illusion that the dispute would have been settled in a hurry.
“This is not something that we thought would have been addressed overnight even though we
had anticipated getting it completed by now. Its more than six weeks now that we’ve been
calling for Rudy’s removal and it’s sad that they (the Irfaan Ally administration) have not taken
any action,” the healthcare worker complained.
“They are saying in other words that if you protest you will suffer, so it’s like a tactic to punish
and starve us so practically. We have no choices,” she bemoaned.
The economy of the bauxite-mining municipality has been in decline for decades and successive
administrations have done little to reverse the fortunes of Upper Demerara/Berbice (Region
Ten).
A LHC nurse believes their economic vulnerability is being exploited.
. “At the moment I am tired, I am angry and fed up considering that we have been protesting all
along and the government is certainly not willing to listen to us it’s as though one man (CEO
Small) has more power than all these hundreds of nurses at the hospital. I am sure at the next
polls they would say something differently,” she complained.
The Ministry of Health’s tactic seems to be working too.
A nurse who has always been in the vanguard from the inception of the dispute admitted that
with the major deductions from her salary she is contemplating to ‘chuck in’ (end her

participation in the ongoing industrial struggle), reminding www.aroundtheregions.com that she
has a family to care for and can ill-afford continue losing moneys from her paltry monthly salary.
Most however, see their challenges as a worthwhile industrial struggle and with GPSU promising
to stand by their side, they plan to continue their resistance until they receive some satisfaction.
The Ministry’s fear tactics will not break the workers or GPSU’s resolve, Butters
maintains.