00:04On Friday, Port of Spain was buzzing as hundreds of nurses swapped their scrubs for placards and took their frustrations
00:11to the streets.
00:12Dressed in a sea of blue, the nurses marched, sang and danced, all while demanding answers for their overdue payments.
00:20Their journey kicked off at the Port of Spain General Hospital and the health workers made their way to the
00:25Ministry of Health Office,
00:26chanting and calling on the Minister of Health, Dr. Lachram Boudou, to step up and take action.
00:39At the front of the march, President of the Trinidad and Tobago National Nurses Association, Edie Stewart,
00:46had one clear message that it's time for the Minister of Health to listen to the people.
00:51Stewart hopes that Dr. Boudou will finally realize the scale of the impasse now that thousands are demanding a resolution.
00:58The Minister of Health, Dr. Lachram Boudou, is unable from since this impasse has started.
01:06I know he is not aware of an impasse.
01:09I hope by the thousands of people gathered here today, he will realize that it's an impasse.
01:14But we cannot understand why he's remaining silent on this issue.
01:19Stewart said all nurses want to know is when they will receive their salary increase as they have been working
01:25on 2014 salaries.
01:26We do not believe that it's an unreasonable demand just for you to indicate to all unsoundry gathered here today
01:35when we will receive.
01:37And we know they are meeting in Parliament today.
01:39So we expect if this doesn't force him to make a statement, a clear, decisive statement on when health care
01:46workers will receive a salary increase,
01:49then we may have to escalate.
01:51And we really don't want to escalate.
01:53He added that the association has never and will never call for strike action.
01:59However, he stated that the incidents at the Eric Williams Hospital,
02:03however, he stated that the incidents at the Eric Williams Hospital and all other NCRHA facilities
02:09were as a result of the actions of NCRHA Chairman Dr. Tim Gopi Singh.
02:14Dr. Tim Gopi Singh caused and continue to cause what is transpiring in those facilities.
02:21If you realize no other facility is going through what NCRHA facilities are going through.
02:27So he should be made to account for what is transpiring.
02:30Imagine, we have never in the history of the RHAs seen a board walk around a hospital
02:39to try to convince health care workers that they are now important, that they are now essential.
02:45They have never done that in history.
02:48NCRHA board walking around the hospital and saying, we value you.
02:53Demonstrate how we value enough time for talking is over.
02:57We have no more time, no more patience for platitude, no more patience for promises.
03:03We want you to deliver what you promised on the plat plane.
03:07And the crowd wasn't shy about letting their voices be heard.
03:11It wasn't just about the nurses as several union buddies rallied in support of the nurses.
03:17Today, comrades, we stand on the shoulders of Uriah Goswami.
03:25Today, comrades, we stand on the shoulders of Adrian Polar Rienzi.
03:33In honor of us, comrades, we stand on the shoulders of comrades who would have labored in the vineyards
03:41for all of us to benefit.
03:44That as of today, today, the government of Trinidad of Tobago should make an announcement
03:50that they give it in no sense, they increase the reserve.
03:55That they give it in no sense, they got missions they're supposed to work on that.
04:16By the time they reached Dundonald Street, the nurses were fired up and they continued their march
04:22with more energy as they gathered at the Brian Lauer Promenade, right in the heart of downtown Portospiel.
04:28There, the crowd even began chanting for Dr. Tim Gupi Singh to step down,
04:33sending a clear message to those in power that it's time for change.
04:42Charlotte Kisto, TV6 News.
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