Friday, 28th November 2008
Public held to ransom by trade unions
Lino Spiteri's recent contribution to current trade union activity (November 11) once more throws light on a recurring problem affecting the well-being of the people of these islands.
I am referring to the so-called industrial action taken by some trade unions, action which has nothing to do with industry but has much to do with essential public services such as those concerned with public transport and health- care services.
In these latter instances the real victims of such strikes are the weaker sectors of our population, such as the ordinary worker making his or her way to work by bus, or the sick person receiving treatment in our public hospitals. It is they who are held to ransom often by leaders of trade unions or professional associations who are determined to have the last word, regardless of anything or anyone.
A ready example of such high handed action was the edict by the nurses' union to deny treatment to a dying cancer patient, because the patient was rude to a nurse.
It is high time. where essential public services are involved, that the calling of strikes be more strictly regulated by law. It is certainly not beyond the ingenuity of our legal luminaries in this age of human rights to devise some civilised legal framework within which industrial disputes can be settled, "in place of strife".
In a social democracy such as ours there should be little or no room for tin-pot tammany hall bosses who can, at the drop of a hat, hold large numbers of our vulnerable population at their mercy.
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Comments
Since it is the Government that is trampling on the nurses rights and backing down on its signed agreement, I see nothing wrong in the nurses working according to their duties and job description. In that case it is still the Government that is responsible, but I believe that a nurse will never leave a patient in a situation as to endanger his life to die even if it means the nurse is doing a job which is not his/hers. Such a hypothetical situation situation was only projected to put the nurses in disrepute and turn the public against them.
c.camilleri
Would you consider having a workload 3 times what it should be according to international standards so as not to put in danger patients lives be enough flexibility Mr Camilleri? No one denied this, yet the Government did nothing to fix the situation. This is what is endangering the patients, not their work to rule.
Robert Lewis
What happened is public knowledge and was amply reported in the media.
I am not a nurse, but I hate seeing workers suffering and their rights being trampled upon by those who profess to be Christian Democrats.
Since you referred to the nurse case, where you by any chance present and know the facts. If so can you let us know what happened. I ask you the other way round, what about if the patient was either yourself or a relative of yours, and you were denied treatment, would you still confirm what you stated. The president of the MUMN or who ever had issued this derective should have resigned. Where health is concerned there are no excuses, and if someone doesnt know the real facts he should not comment.
I agree on one condition: that there is no danger of someone losing his/her life because of the action being taken. It would be useless blaming the government if someone dies because of "work to rule". The person who dies will never return to life, whereas the governement can always survive all imaginable critism and win the next election. I hope I made my pont clear enough.
Anything wrong with doing exactly what you are supposed to do according to your grade, job description and responsibility and not doing other things which do not fall within your job description?
Is it true that during the socialist administrations (1971-1987) such action was not tolerated?
Strikes are meant to disrupt the normal services, otherwise they won't be effective.
So are you advocating that the people delivering these services should be banned from striking and let the Government trample on their rights?
What if it were YOUR rights that were being trampled upon Mr Muscat?
Since you referred to the nurse case, what if it were you who was at the receiving end of violence and abuse Mr Muscat?
I guess that you are simply trying to prevent the present Government from being continuously exposed for trampling upon workers rights and not abiding with agreements that it had previously signed.
We are supposed to be living in a free country Mr Muscat, not in a totalitarian state as you want to turn Malta into.