Established workers return to normal duties at Clarevue

Established workers at the Clarevue Psychiatric Hospital returned to normal duties yesterday after more than 30 days of protest over deplorable conditions at the facility.
They did so based on a directive from their bargaining agent, the Antigua and Barbuda Public Service Association, ABPSA.
Joan Peters, president of the ABPSA said that the union is partially pleased with the level of work that officials from the Ministry of Health have done to address some of the issues that forced workers to abandon their duties.
She also said that the decision was made in consultation with the workers and the lead officials at Clarevue.
“We decided to send the workers back to work, and we will do a walk through on Friday to see how far they have reached. The work has started and any time we are not satisfied with the continued progress we will take action,” Peters said.
Peters said that the ward assistant and nursing aides for the 3 p.m. to 11 p.m. shift were the first set to return to their active posts.
The employees were agitating for better working conditions, outstanding overtime, and transportation and uniform allowance.
They had vowed to stay off the job until something meaningful was done.
Registered nurses attached to the mental hospital had also given government 30 days to address similar concerns or they too would have joined their colleagues in protest.
However on Sunday, Karen Josiah, president of the Antigua and Barbuda Nurses Association said that the body was withdrawing the threat.
Josiah said that the nurses agreed to give government more time to finish the work that they had started.