Care workers

The recent statements by the director general of health and the Parliamentary Secretary for the Elderly regarding industrial action by care workers at the department for the elderly conveniently turned a blind eye to the reason these industrial actions by the health services' section of the Union Haddiema Maghqudin were issued.

Some four years ago the government accepted a claim by UHM for the introduction of an "allowance" for nursing aides and health assistants. These allowances were in three categories. The first allowance is given for work done at a primary nursing setting. The second allowance is paid for work done at a secondary nursing setting and the third allowance is paid for work done at a setting where no nursing is done.

In the case of care workers at St Vincent de Paul these work in a primary nursing setting, aiding the nurses and in homes for the elderly, care workers are working in a secondary nursing setting. But in spite of this, the government is discriminating against the care workers and refusing to pay this allowance to these workers.

The two government officials are claiming that industrial action by the care workers will create "bedsores" on the elderly and is a "shame" on the care workers. This is not true because at St Vincent de Paul there are 40 plus care workers against hundreds of nurses and nursing aides who are not following any industrial actions. It must be borne in mind that nurses and nursing aides also perform work related to washings and changing of nappies of elderly residents.

One may also note that the maximum amount of money for the payment of an allowance to care workers is a mere Lm11.70. Shame on those who are proposing to spend millions of liri on the Opera House site in Valletta and refusing to amend this discrimination against the care workers.