UĦM orders industrial action among healthcare workers

The Union Ħaddiema Magħqudin has directed 1,300 healthcare workers to take industrial action over issues that may disrupt the seniority and wages of hundreds of workers.

The industrial action involves Allied Health professionals, Emergency Ambulance Responders and Steward Health Care employees, concerning.

Emergency ambulance responders had already began their industrial action six months ago, over inaction from the government.

The UĦM said that these workers will only perform tasks related to COVID-19, emergencies, and cancer patients.

At 8:00 a.m. this morning 1,300 workers took industrial action, UĦM said. In a press conference, the union said the action was taken in response to the government not keeping its word in agreements reached months ago.

“The government is breaking the principle of equality. They played a dirty tactic, baiting the union into an agreement as if things were fine when in fact they were not,” said UĦM CEO Josef Vella.

Vella stressed that if no action is taken by the government, the industrial actions “may even escalate”, with the UĦM proposing a call of industrial action of solidarity from other workers within the union. “I feel that it is a disgrace when these circumstances disrupt democracy on an industrial level. We appeal to the government to stop using these dirty tactics. Honour what you wrote in the agreements.”

Nationalist Party spokesperson Jason Azzopardi also said the party is willing to act as a mediator, so these issues may be resolved. “The government cannot keep on meddling with the life of thousands of workers and their families. It is unacceptable that a government drags it feet when negotiating agreements with its workers,” said Azzopardi.