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Friday, June 19, 2009

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FOODIE SPORTS SCOPE REAL TALKS Bring on the land crabs It's a sad day The kiwi meets the lime Appropriate template important for Caribbean Games success Budget shows government's respect for sports program Tommy Robinson, a pioneer supreme We need Knowles to return for Davis Cup Santa Talks is giving out treats Can't go wrong with this duo!
Govt to take legal action By CANDIA DAMES ~ Guardian News Editor ~ candia@nasguard.com: The government intends to go to the Supreme Court this morning to seek an injunction against the Bahamas Nurses Union (BNU), which has been staging a sick-out for a week now, The Nassau Guardian understands. This would be similar to the action taken by the Bahamas Telecommunications Company (BTC) last August when that company's unions staged what management said was illegal industrial action. As it regards the BTC action, the company secured an injunction from Justice John Lyons (now former) who ordered that the unions be restrained from pursuing the work stoppage. Government officials are reportedly hoping that a similar order would force the nurses back to work. Scores of public sector nurses have been calling in sick over the last week, protesting the government's decision to hold off on a $10.5 million insurance plan for them. Their action has severely strained operations at public health care facilities, according to officials. Prime Minister Hubert Ingraham has said in the House of Assembly that the government simply cannot afford to pay the nurses at this time given its strained fiscal position. Ingraham made the announcement in his budget communication on May 27. That same day, Cleola Hamilton, president of the Nurses Union, told The Guardian the union had prior knowledge of the announcement and had agreed with the government's position. "If you look around, you have to be reasonable. You don't want to take the country places that you know the country can't go right now," she said at the time. "So you have to be reasonable in your thinking." Hamilton said on May 27 that in previous discussions with the government, the union had been assured that nurses will get compensation owed to them once the economy rebounds. "Nobody wants to see their country go down. And nobody wants to see government fail — even though the government mightn't be your government — but you don't want to see it fail," she said. But days later, Hamilton expressed extreme dissatisfaction with the government's proposal. On Labour Day, she gave notice that the nurses were in for a "long holiday". Asked last week about her change of heart, the Nurses Union president indicated that the union had a problem with the fact that other workers were not being asked to make the kinds of sacrifices the government wants nurses to make. After BTC secured its injunction last year, its Executive Chairman Julian Francis announced that the company's workers could face jail time, be made to pay a fine, or have their assets seized if they engaged in further industrial action. The injunction was later lifted and workers who participated in the industrial action faced consequences. Minnis has already said that nurses who exceed the number of sick days they are legally entitled to will have their pay cut. He confirmed yesterday that he has had no discussions with the nurses since they started their action a week ago. Monday, June 15,2009