Problems at Spanish Town Infirmary

The National Workers Union (NWU) has written to the St Catherine Parish Council, seeking a meeting to discuss the conditions under which workers at the Spanish Town Infirmary are forced to work.

Vincent Morrison, NWU President, told RJR News that he wrote to the Secretary Manager for the Council following a long list of complaints submitted by the workers.

"We have been advised at a recent workers meeting that two washing machines that they have at the Infirmary broke down months ago and are yet to be repaired. This means that the workers have to be washing the clothes and beddings of the patients with their hands and we believe that this is wrong. There is always the absence of cleaning agents like bleach, soap and mops and the workers have also complained that lunch and changing room facilities are lacking if not totally absent from the facility," Mr. Morrison said.

He added that the issue of insurance is another bone of contention for the workers.

"There is no insurance and there is no compensation for workers who get injured on the job by patients. Consequently, we have written to the Secretary Manager at the St. Catherine Parish Council, Christopher Powell, requesting a meeting before the end of the month to discus and resolve all the outstanding issues at the Spanish Town Infirmary," Mr. Morrison added.