The following is posted to support our striking nurses who have been treated unfairly by their employer (government) for too many years. Thanks to Tee White for the poster.
Support Our Nurses
The following is posted to support our striking nurses who have been treated unfairly by their employer (government) for too many years. Thanks to Tee White for the poster.
153 responses to “Support Our Nurses”
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DonnaJanuary 17, 2022 2:27 PM
On the contrary, Angela Cox, I have a very healthy ego, one that knows that there are many many superior minds to mine but not so many as THINK they are superior.
Xxxx
Don’t fool yuhself the mirror u looking into might not be yours -
Franklyn to broaden action
UNITY WORKERS’ UNION (UWU) has fired another shot across the bow, hoping that Government will finally meet it at the table.
General secretary Caswell Franklyn said technicians at the Grantley Adams International Airport were ready to walk off the job in solidarity with the nurses who have been protesting for the past several weeks. He said should the technicians comply, it would affect air traffic as the technicians were responsible for controlling the flow of flights in and out of the airport, and their stance could have serious repercussions.
“If they don’t sit down with us, we will be asking our members at the airport to take action in support of the nurses.
[Yesterday] some of them have actually taken action, so the airport is not up to strength in terms of the technicians because most of them called in sick (yesterday). If they don’t do something about it, we will ask all [to stay at home],” he reported.
Yesterday, more than 100 nurses took to the streets in Bridgetown, marching from Cheapside to Golden Square Freedom Park, under the watchful eye of the police, where they staged a second protest, following one held on January 6. Nurses have been protesting poor working conditions, hazards in relation to the COVID-19 variants, among other issues. The strike is now into its seventh week.
Franklyn recently said the action had started to take a toll on some of the nurses who had since returned to work.
Many bystanders, including nurses who were not allowed in the actual march due to COVID-19 restrictions, stood in solidarity with the protesters, some very vocal on the treatment meted out by the current Government. Also seen standing in solidarity with the nurses were a number of General Election candidates.
They were Marva Lashley-Todd of Alliance Party for Progress, and Independent Fallon Best –both running in The City; leader of the Bajan Free Party Alex Mitchell, and St Michael West Central’s David Roberts.
Joined march
Activists Winston Clarke, Frank “Bongo Lights” Chase and Lumumba Batson also joined the march, as well as street character Ninja Man as the group moved across the Chamberlain Bridge.
“I think it is particularly heartening when the nurses can stay out for this long. This is going into week seven, and probably the longest strike we have had in Barbados in my memory,” Franklyn said.
He told reporters the Prime Minister had met with other unions which had agreed to the basic headings of the proposals UWU had submitted. He said the major concern was the livelihood of the nurses who had been fighting for years.
“Don’t take my word for it. Take Colonel Bostic [Minister of Health The Most Honourable Jeffrey Bostic] who said that some of these issues were going on for more than a decade. He has been in office for three and a half years.
The issues that were still pending for a decade are still there, so what did he do for the nurses? What did his Government do for the nurses?”
Franklyn asked.
He conceded the strike would only be effective when the nurses got their just due, but he believed the matter was slowly becoming about him and not the nurses.
“It is not effective yet because they are still out on strike. The hospital is in chaos. Last night they had very few people working. It is in chaos all like now, but the Government refuses to acknowledge the truth. They pretend that everything is okay, while people in the hospitals are not getting bathed daily, not getting their food on time . . . . I think this is about me now, this is not about the nurses anymore,” he said.
Franklyn said he would not be swayed like other unions.
“When this whole thing started I had about 60 nurses, I have over 180 now.
It is telling you the nurses are satisfied with my representation and they are not satisfied with the representation they are getting from other unions. It will not get any better if those unions refuse to stand up for the people who are paying them,” he said. (RA)Source: Nation
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This thing could have been nipped in the bud with some respect shown by the PM.
What to do when the union leader becomes the issue?
I have no answer. My heart is just heavy.
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