Health Ministry the biggest ‘roadblock’ to NDP’s reinstatement policy — Boucher

By Ashford Peters

Three days after the New Democratic Party (NDP) administration reported that only eight public sector workers dismissed under the COVID-19 vaccine mandate remained to be reinstated, the Public Service Union (PSU) says 44 workers had yet to be reinstated as of the last weekend.

Hundreds of public sector workers were fired in November 2021 under the Unity Labour Party (ULP) administration for failing to take a COVID-19 jab.

Some of them responded to the government’s invitation to return to work but others stayed away and responded to the NDP’s reinstatement policy after being elected to office on Nov. 27.

On Friday, Attorney General Louise Mitchell told reporters in Kingstown that as of December, 116 affected workers had yet to return to work.

Following the new government’s announced Jan. 31 deadline for reinstatement in accordance with its policy, 100 workers returned to their workplace to be reinstated.

“I’m pleased to announce that almost all of the persons who have resumed have had the release of their posts,” Mitchell said.

“So, of the 100 persons that have resumed, placements have been found for 92 of the 100,” Mitchell said.

She noted that dismissed workers would be issued letters of resumption of duties and would be appointed to similar or equivalent positions to the post held at the time of dismissal.

However, President of the PSU, Elroy Boucher, speaking on the union’s programme on NICE Radio Monday night, said the union’s investigation found that 44 people from the Ministry of Health were yet to be reinstated, despite their efforts to do so.

Boucher said he was not sure whether what Mitchell said on Friday meant that those 44 workers were already placed in positions but were waiting to return to the workplace.

“I don’t know if that is what that actually means but in terms of returning to work, that is not the case.”

Boucher said the 44 workers include three doctors, 11 staff nurses, four staff nurse midwife, one junior clerk, one community health aide, nine nursing assistants, two ward managers, two female attendants, two laundress, one nutrition surveillance officer, one lab tech, four nursing aides, one EKG technician, one ambulance driver, and one phlebotomist.

“…I think except for one who is not interested, the majority of them actually are trying to come back,” the trade unionist said.

He said the challenge with these workers returning is that the chief medical officer (CMO) has said legal issues could arise if they return to work without the position being released by the Ministry of Finance.

“… so, let’s say the doctor is to see patients and anything happens that can create a problem because you’re not filling a specific position, the argument is that has legal implications for the government,” Boucher said, presenting what he said is the CMO’s reasoning.

“Interestingly, the same thing did not obtain with the teaching service,” he said, adding that teachers were immediately reinstated when they expressed their interest to return to work.

“… I think I heard of when a principal went back that position was already filled but the principal understood and was able to be accommodated until they create another post for that person.”

Earlier on Monday, Boucher said on Boom FM that prior to the November elections, the NDP had discussed with the SVG Teachers’ Union and the PSU and later announced its reinstatement policy.

Boucher said that after the NDP was elected to office, the policy was implemented but there were some roadblocks.

“There was very little resistance from the teaching service, except for one or two other ones. Police was smooth. The problem was Ministry of Health, that’s where the problem was and that is where the problem still is…” he said.

“… I could not understand it. It frustrated me — angry at first, and frustrated because I couldn’t understand why.

Boucher said the government had made its policy clear, adding that he had been in communication with the Minister of Health, Daniel Cummings, throughout.

“… he kept telling me that he sat with the heads of department — PS and CMO, etc. — and he articulated what the government policy was.

“But that didn’t make a difference until I got to the point that when the nurses started messaging me and what they were going through, because we are telling them to go back to work and resume, … that’s what the government policy is …”

Boucher said he forwarded to Cummings “some of the troubles, the experiences of these workers.

“I had to forward them to him because I got so tired of calling and speaking about it,” the union leader said, adding that he had called in on NICE Radio once when the matter was being discussed.

“And I expressed the problems, the roadblocks that these workers in the Ministry of Health, 44 of them, were experiencing. I called, and I said, ‘This is just beyond ridiculous’,” Boucher stated.

The trade union leader question why the Ministry of Health was the only ministry “frustrating the efforts of the government to implement a very simple policy”.

He said it is a really simple process: dismissed workers report to the workplace to be reinstated and receive a resumption letter.

Boucher noted that the resumption cards are to treat the workers as if they never left their job.

He noted that it was the same as if workers were resuming work after vacation, adding that whether it is at the ministry or at the hospital or at the clinics and the information is forwarded to the chief personnel officer (CPO).

“The problem now lies with CPO, or the challenge, or the work has to be done by them. It was that simple, but yet that became a problem.”

The attorney general announced on Friday that the government has put a special committee, including the union and other stakeholders, to handle issues related to the reinstatement policy.

Boucher noted that the Mitchell chaired the committee, which went through all the issues related to the reinstatement and agreed on their resolution.

“The Attorney General was the chair, and is the chair of this special committee, and you will think that after that, everything will be running smooth. But even after that, it was still a problem,” said Boucher.

On Friday, Mitchell said the committee met on Jan. 9, with her in the chair.

Also present was the acting solicitor general, in the Ministry of Legal Affairs, a legal drafter from the AG’s chambers, the cabinet secretary, the director general of finance and planning, the CPO, the secretary of the police and public service commissions, the permanent secretary in Ministry of Education, the chief education officer, the permanent secretary in the Minister of Health, the CMO, the PS in the Ministry of National Security, the commissioner of police, the president to the Teachers’ union, two members of the Police Welfare Association and Boucher and another member of the PSU.

“The committee … addressed many issues that have arisen in terms of the implementation of our important policy, and as the prime minister indicated, there was consensus at the meeting,” Mitchell said, adding that Cabinet later approved the recommendations.

However, Boucher said on Boom FM about the challenges healthcare workers still face.

He said it had taken him over two hours recently just to speak with and convince the head of that department, as a nurse tried to return to work.

“… And, in the end, he found out that the person was not even signing the document — after two hours,” Boucher said, adding that this should have taken two minutes.

“I am convinced they are deliberate… And if I did not personally get involved in trying to get these resumptions done, then I may have more or less alleged that they are,” Boucher said.

“But I’m convinced that they are because even the one that we did there when we got to the hospital, they had some old forms that were used in the old administration that is not required.

“This is a new government, and they are doing things differently, as they often said ‘there’s a new sheriff in town’,” Boucher said.

Boucher said he had seen the extent to which the government had gone to make the reinstatement and resumption smooth.

“… so, I see them as just pure roadblocks that are placed to frustrate the efforts of the new administration in effecting its policy.”