Barbados – Trade unionist warn that industrial action could intensify on Monday December, 20th.
Trade unionist Caswell Franklyn said his union is open to returning to the negotiating table however “we are not prepared to go back”.
Better pay, health insurance, remuneration for degrees, advancement, continuous training and better working conditions are among some of the prolonged issues the trade unionist wants addressed.
As Franklyn warned that the ongoing industrial action by nurses will be increased he implored that “This is not political. To this day I have not mentioned a single word of this to the Opposition leader Bishop Joseph Atherley. He does not know what I am doing in this respect because he is not part of the Unity Workers’ Union. This is not a political thing.”
The Senator said that the number of nurses protesting is expected to increase, as an undisclosed number of additional nurses joined his union.
Franklyn said “on Saturday he got calls indicating, ‘We are not members of the union, we want to join because we want to join the strike from Monday’. So, what the government did has backfired.
Nurses are angry he said, the government has shot themselves in the foot because more nurses are telling me they want to come out too. That is what I am hearing.”
Franklyn is holding firm to his actions stressing that his head was cool and that at every juncture he has sought a resolution.
