00:00President of the TNT Registered Nurses Association, Idi Stewart, is expressing displeasure on behalf of members of the association.
00:08Stewart says there are several areas of high priority concern for workers across the RHAs, among them the permanency of nursing staff.
00:17Based on a court ruling won by the association, Stewart states that the RHAs have been moving to secure the tenure of workers, but he finds that one in particular is falling way behind.
00:28The majority of NWRHA staff is temporarily employed, and temporary not in the sense of contracted employment, that they will get gratuity, but it is temporary employment.
00:40So they're not getting gratuity, they're not getting pension.
00:43So while the government is spending a lot of time to find ways to deny Stewart Young his pension,
00:49there are thousands of nursing and military personnel who currently would not receive pension after 30 years of employment.
00:58And permanent staff across RHAs are on 2013 salaries.
01:03At the North Central Regional Health Authority, the experience on the ground allegedly contradicts the health ministry's release,
01:11stating that no order was given for a hiring freeze.
01:15We are seeing contracts not being renewed.
01:18We are seeing persons not being given an extension of time.
01:22No new contracts are being given.
01:24Stewart says overtime there, or what is referred to as pooling, has also been cut.
01:30You, the listening public, your care will be compromised if you don't have the requisite number of nursing personnel.
01:38The unofficial reason, according to him, is financial constraints.
01:42But any official response has not been forthcoming.
01:46Well, Health Minister Dr. Lacron Bodo tells TV6 News just last month,
01:52ATA nurses completed orientation at the NWRHA,
01:56and he has been advised that positions requiring board approvals to be filled are being submitted to the ministry.
02:03Dr. Bodo adds that standard procedure is being followed.
02:06Meanwhile, the TTRNA has requested a joint meeting with the various RHAs to ventilate these concerns,
02:13and it expects that this will be facilitated.
02:17The association is waiting on a date.
02:20Stewart says the issues have gone on for far too long.
02:24We cannot give this current government any grace period, any honeymoon period.
02:30So, unfortunately, we'll have to begin to take more decisive actions going forward.
02:37Questioned about a time frame the association is setting for the government to start to respond to the concerns of the association,
02:45here's what Stewart has to say.
02:48Significant financial injection may only come around the budget period,
02:53and that may be a reasonable time.
02:55We take instructions from our members.
02:58So, if our members cannot wait for the next national budget, then so be it.
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