TNM supports calls for better wages, risks allowances for frontline workers

Sep 30, 2020 News

The New Movement (TNM), a political party comprised of medical doctors, is supporting the demands of health workers, who have been appealing to the government for better wages and risk allowances.

Nurses protesting in Linden last week.

TNM’s comments follow after hundreds of health workers from the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), the West Demerara Regional Hospital (WDRH) and the Linden Hospital Complex (LHC) staged protests for better salaries, working conditions and even risk allowances, last week.
Carrying placards and chanting “No increase and allowance; no work period”, “Essential salary for essential workers” and “We demand risk allowances”, the frontline workers believe that their requests are “more than reasonable”, especially when one reflects on the aggressiveness of COVID-19—a virus that infected more than 2,500 Guyanese, with 78 unfortunate fatalities.
Notably, citizens have voiced their concern over TNM’s “silence” following the health workers’ strikes. However, TNM executive, Dr. Asha Kissoon, indicated to Kaieteur News that they do not want for the health workers’ concerns to become “politicized”.
“We don’t want for it to seem as if a political party is attacking or against the government; it’s why the party hasn’t issued an official statement following the strikes,” Dr. Kissoon told this publication yesterday afternoon. “We, however, support those frontline workers’ calls for better wages and risk allowances.”

Dr. Asha Kissoon

Dr. Kissoon went on to indicate that TNM intends on dispatching a letter containing proposals of frontline workers, which will be addressed to officials of the PPP/C government.
A meeting is also scheduled this week with those aforesaid officials, she said, at which point they will further articulate their proposals.
“We believe that the government needs to communicate better with health workers, and they can achieve that by setting up unions to represent doctors. A healthcare union does exist, but only for nurses, and if they have concerns they’d have to reach out to the Labour Union, which is not very responsive,” the party executive explained.
She is of the view, however, that a doctor’s union would be more proactive in addressing doctor’s concerns.
Meanwhile, President Irfaan Ali, believes that the circumstances of those frontline workers are being exploited.
“Issues that the nurses and doctors raised were under active consideration,” Ali told the press on Saturday, during a visit to the proposed site of the new Demerara Bridge at Nandy Park, East Bank Demera.
“What I have seen in this strike are a few factors, and I have a strong monitoring team looking at the type of narrative being built on social media.”
He added that there are “actors” who are exploiting the circumstances of those health workers.
The President was keen to highlight the $150M that has been budgeted for frontline workers, as he has emphasized that the government is committed to improving the lives of all workers.
Recently, Minister of Human Services and Social Security, Dr. Vindhya Persaud announced that her ministry will be expanding its Childcare Assistance Programme to provide free childcare to frontline workers.
When enquired about the particular requests made by health workers, Ali indicated that he viewed requests which were beyond the scope of what Guyana could provide—particularly in duty-free concessions for nurses.
The President went on to assert that the $5B budgeted by the government for sugar workers should not be used to draw a parallel by health workers as justification or a rationale for their demands.
“You can physically see the socio-economic impact following the closure of those estates on those communities. I can’t apologize for bringing back those jobs… Where was the solidarity when more than 7,000 sugar workers were sent home? What was the situation then?”
Nonetheless, Ali gave his assurance that the government is committed to creating better lives for each and every Guyanese.

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