Hospital security guards on industrial action

The General Workers' Union yesterday ordered industrial action at St Luke's Hospital for matters that were directly affecting the operation of its security guards.

The action is being blamed on the hospital authorities and starts at 6.30 a.m. today.

Hospital security guards who watch the entrance to the emergency section have been directed to go outside for five minutes for a breath of fresh air every 30 minutes.

They are also not accepting orders to guard the gates to the main entrance until new security rooms are built and furnished with everything required to ease the effects of the elements of nature, the union said.

The issues have been dragging on for years but nothing had been done despite promises of the imminent start of the project on new internal traffic arrangements for St Luke's Hospital, it added.

In its last meeting with the Health Division, the union had been assured that the security rooms would undergo the necessary changes.

The GWU said it was certain that the necessary measures had been taken by the director general and the Health Division but that everything had come to a halt on the part of the hospital authorities.

Since its last meeting in July, nothing was done to solve the long-standing complaints that the union had already been promised would be arranged, it said.

One of the issues involved the installation of fans close to the two entrances to the emergency department, where the security guards work.

The delays could no longer be tolerated due to the serious inconveniences and the GWU said it had waited long enough for the issues to be resolved.