The Tribune

By SANCHESKA BROWN

Tribune Staff Reporter

sbrown@tribunemedia.net

JANNAH Khalfani, president of the Bahamas Nurses Union, said yesterday she is “sick and tired” of being “disregarded and disrespected” by the government after the Department of Public Health postponed the signing of the union’s industrial agreement for the third time “for no reason.”

Mrs Khalfani, along with representatives from the Bahamas Customs, Immigration and Allied Workers Union and legal advisor Obie Ferguson, demonstrated in front of the Office of the Prime Minister on Wednesday demanding an audience with Prime Minister Perry Christie.

Mrs Khalfani said she met with Labour Minister Shane Gibson to discuss the union’s issues, but the meeting was “unproductive.”

She said it is ridiculous that after both sides agreed to all the articles in the document, that the government would refuse to sign the contract knowing that persons counted on funds expected from the agreement for the holidays.

“We have been in negotiations, we finalised the document on two prior occasions. In the beginning of November, we checked the document again to make sure it was ready for signing. However, the Department of Public Health said they did not have the manpower and the documents were not ready for signing,” Mrs Khalfani said.

“So they gave us a new date on Tuesday. So we worked with them up until Friday of last week to ensure there were no mistakes. Then on Monday they called us and said it will be ready on Tuesday. Then Tuesday, right before we were supposed to meet, they called to cancel again, they told us Wednesday. Then on Wednesday, 10 minutes before the time, they tell us maybe next week or next year.

“That is unacceptable. This industrial contract governs the lives of these nurses – they have been patiently waiting for a long time. They need their benefits for the holidays. We are not asking for anything that is outside the boundaries of the contract but this is nothing short of ridiculous. The behaviour the government is displaying is disgusting and we are sick and tired of being disrespected and disregarded.”

A notice sent out by Bahamas Information Services yesterday morning said the industrial agreement signing was postponed until December 30.

Mrs Khalfani also said nurses at the Marsh Harbour Clinic in Abaco will continue to sit out until the government removes the mould in the clinic and solves the sewerage issue.

“They are dealing with an unsuitable work environment, the cesspit is leaking, the air-conditioning is not working, there is mould in the building and people are getting sick because of it,” Mrs Khalfani said.

“Why should they work in those conditions? The patients are getting sicker, the nurses and the doctors are getting ill, no one should have to deal with that. We spoke to the government and they aren’t doing anything, so we will do what we have to do.”

Last week, Charlene Bain, acting community health administrator at the Department of Public Health, confirmed that officials were aware of the unresolved maintenance and infrastructure issues at the Marsh Harbour clinic, including a faulty air-conditioning unit, and that steps were being taken at the time to repair it.

Nurses in Abaco have staged multiple sit-outs due to the mould and other issues.

The Tribune attempted to contact Labour Minister Shane Gibson for comment, but calls were not returned up to press time.