UHM plans more industrial action in health sector

The Union Haddiema Maghqudin has warned it will be intensifying its industrial action in the health sector as from Monday.

Nursing aides, care workers, assistant care workers, health assistants and dentists at Mater Dei Hospital embarked on union ordered industrial action yesterday over the government's failure to meet its commitments made in a collective agreement reached last year.

Applications for promotions in the respective grades had been issued late and did not observe the collective agreement. As a result, the workers lost out in allowances, the union said.

The matter had been taken to conciliation which found in favour of the union in November. But the collective agreement was still not being observed.

The union said this morning that the Finance Ministry did not turn up for a reconciliation meeting yesterday. The union saw this as another attempt at lengthening the implementation process of the agreement so it had been left with no option but to increase action.