The Tribune

By LEANDRA ROLLE

Tribune Chief Reporter

lrolle@tribunemedia.net

PRIME Minister Philip “Brave” Davis expressed disappointment over this week’s industrial action of affiliates of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), particularly healthcare professionals, saying they lacked consideration for patient care despite the government’s repeated commitment to addressing their concerns.

Mr Davis told reporters yesterday that he was still unsure what motivated the strike but expressed relief that its overall impact was minimal.

“If there are issues with the government, they have the right to take industrial action, but in the context of their duty to their patients, I think is very disappointing concept,” he said.

“For me, it seemed that they had little regard to what happened to their patients.”

His comments followed a two-day nationwide strike on Monday and Tuesday that saw a broad section of government workers, including healthcare professionals and air traffic controllers, fail to report for duty.

The government responded to the strike by securing an interim court injunction to compel employees to return to work and prevent further disruptions.

Deputy Prime Minister and Aviation Minister Chester Cooper and Labour Minister Pia Glover Rolle confirmed that workers returned to their posts yesterday after failing to show up earlier in the week.

The strike, which forced some clinics to close and pushed health facilities into “crisis mode”, stemmed partly from frustration over unfulfilled promises outlined in a 2021 Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Progressive Liberal Party (PLP) and trade union leaders.

TUC leader Obie Ferguson has accused the Davis administration of neglecting their demands despite the TUC’s support for the PLP in the last general election.

Doctors have complained about a lack of insurance coverage and a failure to secure overtime and holiday pay.

Mr Davis said he had unsuccessfully tried to contact Mr Ferguson ahead of the strike for a meeting.

Despite the tensions, government officials have reiterated their openness to discussions to resolve the dispute.

“We want to continue the conversation,” Mrs Glover-Rolle said. “The only way we’re going to find resolution is to continue to negotiate, to continue to mediate. The door remains open.”

Meanwhile, Mr Ferguson has said the organisation will do what it has to do following the injunction.

“We have a legitimate right to be heard, and we’ll make our case with that,” he told Tribune Business. “We’re going to follow the law. The law is there to be followed by everybody. We’ll do what we have to do. We want to see what they have, but we know we have 14 [strike] certificates.”