The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

DISGRUNTLED employees of the kitchen department in Princess Margaret Hospital staged a sit-out on Friday because of an air-conditioning malfunction and staff storage.

Bahamas Public Services Union President Kimsley Ferguson said the air-conditioning in that particular department has been malfunctioning for over four months, adding that this is a recurring problem.

He noted that officials have failed to provide relief, despite repeated commitments to rectify the matter.

He said: “The condition in the kitchen is still adversely affecting those that have to function in there. We’ve sought to work along with the PHA to ensure that nobody is disadvantaged, or the patients are not adversely affected, but, today, the staff has taken the position that enough is enough.

“We have females working in the kitchen, who are sweating profusely. And it’s extremely challenging and some of these persons have to go from a hot kitchen into a cold freezer and so that’s going to have a really profound impact on their health.

“It is indeed the responsibility of the employer to ensure that the environment is healthy, safe and productive for the staff and so hence, we’re going to remain right where we are until such time as we are satisfied that this problem is going to be fixed in the shortest period of time.”

In addition to the air-conditioning challenges in the department, Mr Ferguson revealed that the kitchen is significantly understaffed.

PMH kitchen staff have previously protested about this issue in recent years and Mr Ferguson is insisting that the matter is rectified once and for all.

“This has always been a recurring problem and they’ve been sticking a band-aid on it for a while,” he said. “We don’t need a band-aid fix. We need, whatever the problem is, to rectify it so that these persons can continually work and serve like they have been hired to do.”

The sit-out was said to have affected both patients and staff.

Aaron Thompson, a cook, said the conditions in the kitchen are “deplorable”.

“We have been speaking with the director, we have been having meetings on the condition of the kitchen, but no rectification. We just need them to fix the problem and stop putting a band-aid on it. It just makes people sick.”

He said he is currently battling medical challenges as a result of the conditions.

The hospital administrator, Mary Walker, declined last week to comment on the matter.