The Tribune

By EARYEL BOWLEG

Tribune Staff Reporter

ebowleg@tribunemedia.net

THE Consultant Physicians Staff Association (CPSA) has voiced mounting frustration over protracted negotiations with the Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) and the government, citing a lack of progress on a new industrial agreement set to expire in 2026.

Dr Charelle Lockhart, CPSA president, said yesterday that despite ongoing discussions, no formal agreement has been reached. She noted that while talks have occurred, the next round of negotiations is not scheduled until 2026, coinciding with the current agreement’s expiration.

Dr Lockhart emphasised that the CPSA holds a strike certificate, viewing industrial action as a last resort. She criticised the government and the PHA for mutual blame over delays, saying: “The government says that they have been explicit in what they want to propose to us, and the Public Hospitals Authority is saying they have not gotten the green light to send us the proposal, but the proposal that was sent that we ended up rejecting the government says that they had no dealings with that. That’s not what the discussion was. So they continue to blame each other, and we’re in the middle. So it’s like we’re being passed back and forth like a hot potato.”

She expressed concern over the latest delay, attributing it to the need for the managing director and the Minister of Health to review two specific points, which she described as minor.

The primary issues impeding progress are health insurance provisions and accurate tracking of consultants’ working hours. Dr Lockhart emphasised that consultants’ responsibilities often extend beyond hospital premises and standard hours:

“I continue to tell people that my job does not end when I walk out of the doors of the Princess Margaret Hospital,” she said. “It continues into the night at home. I am consulting at all hours of the day and night to people on the Family Islands, to the outside community clinics.”

She lamented the government’s apparent responsiveness to industrial unrest over constructive dialogue, saying: “We are still holding our strike certificate. You know that is our absolute last resort, and at this particular point in time, if that’s what my membership says that we need to do, I’m not going to be the one to discourage that because our negotiation team has certainly tried to the very end to get this to where we need it to be, where it should be.”

The CPSA comprises approximately 123 members.

The government initially aimed to finalise a new industrial agreement with doctors by February 2025.

Dr Lockhart noted that the last communication from Labour and Public Service Minister Pia Glover-Rolle was on March 28, during a quarterly meeting. She said at that time, Minister Glover-Rolle assured the CPSA of a written proposal by April 1.

In a statement, Mrs Glover-Rolle expressed her concerns over the prolonged negotiations.

“The government has already agreed to the terms concerning health insurance,” she said. “With respect to time and attendance, the initial proposal presented to the doctors was rejected, not on the basis of the terms, but because the language in the document did not align with what was agreed upon by the Department of Labour and the Financial Secretary.”

She added that revised language, agreed upon by all parties, was resubmitted to the PHA on April 15, 2025, but the final counter-proposal has not yet reached the CPSA.

“This matter has gone on for far too long. With the outstanding issues essentially resolved in principle, it’s time for all parties to come together to finalise this agreement,” she said.

In January, a two-day nationwide strike led by Trade Union Congress (TUC) president Obie Ferguson involved healthcare professionals, air traffic controllers, and other government workers. The strike forced some clinics to close and left health facilities operating in “crisis mode.”