Fabian Ledgister, Staff Reporter

Simultaneous strike action was taken at three corporate area hospitals yesterday by members of Lamasa Limited, the company supplying ancillary workers at the institutions.

The protests, which all began at about 7:30 a.m., were at the Kingston Public Hospital, Bustamante Hospital for Children, and the Victoria Jubilee (Maternity) Hospital. The strike action was said to be caused by the hospitals' administration reneging on promises given to them from a December 23, 2006 meeting (with senior management from KPH and National Workers' Union delegates).

Assistant Chief Delegate for Lamasa Ltd., Janet Fowler, who organised the Bustamante Children's Hospital leg of the protest, showed The STAR the tattered uniforms in which her colleagues were forced to work.

"On the 23rd of December last year, we were promised uniforms, proper IDs, and a salary review ... look at us," Fowler said as she passed a finger through one of three tears on a colleague's blue uniform, "we under death stress, three thousand odd a week caa even go market ... we a cry fi help an when wi cry, wi children dem a cry too."

Currently, the ancillary staff is given a salary package of $3,250 per week, with no benefits.

RESOLUTION?

After more than three hour's protest in the sweltering heat, ancillary workers were finally addressed by management, who informed a delegate of the NWU of their decision.

"We had a resumption based on the management coming to an understanding that the matter must be addressed at the earliest possible date. As early as tomorrow members should be getting new uniforms and they should be addressing 15 - 20 per cent of the requirements," said NWU's Senior Negotiating Officer, Robert Harris.

"Concerning wage negotiations, they have also agreed to re-enter discussions, and we are now waiting on them to confirm a date where the Ministry (of Labour) will be present. They are extremely slow in dealing with the issues ... we are looking at a tentative date of the first or second of March."

Harris gave the assurance that based on the nonchalance of hospital management, the NWU would be conducting all further negotiations with hospital administration, under the auspices of the Ministry of Labour.

Efforts to get a comment from representatives of the hospitals were unsuccessful.