NASSAU, BAHAMAS — President of the Bahamas Nurses Union, Amancha Williams said that the number of nurses leaving the public health system continues to climb with as many as 70 nurses leaving this year as she put officials on notice of looming industrial action.
She said the trend is an increasing concern among younger nurses who have become frustrated with backpay and working conditions.
Williams said that the Public Service and Public Health Departments have been taking too long with processing the information for nurses and if the issue is not addressed soon enough, they will take a strike action.
“The next step is that I have a strike certificate and those who trying to take away the little power that the union have is going get a strike certificate, […] tell them watch and see Amancha Williams because my last running as president I will show them what union is supposed to be like,” Williams said.
The union president added that many of the nurses would prefer to stay in the country, however, working conditions are too poor.
Furthermore, she explained that there are many opportunities abroad for Bahamian nurses who often take advantage of them as they can get their pay with benefits and concessions for their families.
“I have five registered nurses in the Department of Public Health not being paid for a whole year, […] you see it over and over on tv with each government fighting the same old things.
“[…] I’ve had enough okay, I’ve been calling everybody and their mother to resolve this issue […] you can’t be sitting in Dr. Darville’s office every other week, Public Service is see me every week, they say, ‘Ms. Williams, you is police this
“No, that’s why we’re losing the nurses who works a year before they get a salary, who in the world does that?”‘. Williams stated.
And with Christmas coming up, Williams said that the nurses who are owed would like to see the compensation for their work reflected in their December pay.
“If all these people sitting in their ties eating their turkey this Christmas, well my nurse ga eat her turkey this Christmas or it ain’t ga be no nurse in none of these clinics.”
Williams said that she is tired of waiting for the industrial agreement to be registered said that they are being disrespected as nurses and that she is tired of what she sees as the government’s disregard for the union.
These problems coupled with backpay, and long periods before promotions aren’t appealing to young nurses she said, who have the ability to work in the U.S., Europe or Canada, as there is a global nursing shortage and with that she explains that many countries have been recruiting nurses from the Caribbean region.
“We are losing them every day. Why? Not that these nurses here wants to leave you know. It’s because of the way we do business.”
Williams’ suggestion is that the public service commission improves its process by revamping the entire paper driven system to a digital system and making a separate commission to exclusively serve nurses.
“We cannot do it no more when you have almost three thousand nurses in the Commonwealth of the Bahamas, give us a commission, we are the largest body of the healthcare system,” Williams said.
