Following a promise by Prime Minister Dr Keith Rowley last week that members of the protective services will receive their arrears by the end of this month, nurses say they are feeling slighted, given that they were assured the same thing but that promise seemed to have been reneged on.
Following a meeting with the T&T Registered Nurses Association (TTRNA) on May 19, Finance Minister Colm Imbert agreed to deviate from his original plan of paying outstanding arrears in half cash and half bonds to the nurses and assured them that they will be paid by the end of this month.
TTRNA were also given the option to accept the bonds, land and housing in place of half their cash value.
The TTRNA was asked to compile a list of members who would prefer land and housing in place of the second and third payments. The offer of bonds remained on the table with a promise of a three to four per cent annual interest rate maturing in five years that can be sold from as early as six months following receipt.
Speaking with the T&T Guardian yesterday, head of the TTRNA, Kerne Ramnath, said his members were feeling disrespected and were now in some sort of limbo as to when they would receive part of their monies.
He added that since February he was informed that the accounts at payroll for the various Regional Health Authorities (RHA) were ready but the Ministry of Health’s auditing team only began work in May.
“We will feel very disrespected if it is that payroll at the RHAs is at fault because they were telling us all the time they were ready.
“At this time I can’t say that the nurses will be not be agitated anymore but at this time I am asking them to give us some time to get more information. We were given clear assurances but I don’t know what happened.
“The protective services have their issues and I understand but we too need our money. We will not make threats but our nurses are ready and willing to do what is necessary because we have been waiting since November,” Ramnath said.
He added that the TTRNA had been given “a set of runaround” with just vague timing as to when they will receive their monies. He added that when it came to dealing with the protective services, the authorities were straight forward with them but as for nurses, there was some sleight of hand.
“We will not be taking this gross disrespect anymore because nursing and health care are essential in this country,” Ramnath said.
During the mid-year review of the 2016 Budget in Parliament in April, Imbert promised to pay outstanding arrears in tranches. It was promised to be paid in three tranches, the first, which will be half the cash value on June 30, and two subsequent equal payments at the end of December and at the end of March 2017.
The protective services rejected the offer of bonds, saying there was no clear interest rate on them.
The heads of the Prisons Officers, Fire Services and Police Service Social and Welfare Associations said they met with Imbert on April 26 and a deadline of May 31 was set for the reconsideration of the proposed bonds.
They described the bonds then as “cyanide” and outrightly rejected them.
They suggested a stipulated $50,000 cash payout for officers and those with arrears in excess of that would be given at least $50,000 and those whose arrears were less would receive their full cash arrears.