The Government should 'Stop Beating Around The Bush' attitude and not hide behind any conciliator.

MUMN is perplexed why the Government had to render this process to the ridicule of a conciliatory meeting. This strategy was totally uncalled for in the light that:

1)  MUMN always attend to any sectorial meetings called upon from the Government 

2) MUMN is still awaiting further meetings promised by the Government with further counter proposals.

The last meeting held at the Ministry of Health was last Thursday 6^th April 2023 during which the Government presented its last counter proposals.

These counter proposals were:-

 

1)      Still placing the nurses and midwives as the lowest paid amongst the health professionals in the country let along with those abroad.

 

2)      Still discriminating against the nursing and midwifery professions who are still left to work on a 46.6-hour week (flat rate) and not on a 40-hour week as the whole civil service.

 

3)      Still penalising nurses and midwives if they get sick by deducting their allowances when sick leave is availed.

 

4)      Still depriving managerial salary scales for nurses and midwives when compared to other health professionals.

 

5)   Still depriving Covid Allowance and other allowances that were promised to the nurses and midwives during the COVID pandemic.

 

6)      Still depriving nurses and midwives to be at par with other health professionals as regards the Continuous Professional Development.

 

7)      Still discriminating on the salary as most civil servants with a degree commence at scale 9 while nurses and midwives with a degree commence at scale 10.

 

8)      Still not addressing the 500 nurses' shortage which the health service needs to sustain its services to the patients.

 

9)  Still ignoring the proposals about tax incentives and pension. schemes

 

10)   Still ignoring any incentives for young people to join the nursing/midwifery professions such as the students ' minimum wage scheme which used to be conveyed successfully in the early years of 2000.

 

MUMN was seriously shocked, during the last meeting, when the Government requested the nurses & midwives to work an additional 16 hours per week (on top of their 40-hour week) to benefit from a certain allowance to replace MUMN’s proposal on the Tax on overtime which other workers in the country already enjoy. This implies that nurses and midwives would be obliged to work 56 hours per week to benefit from certain allowance which would be unreachable for most nurses and midwives as they are still raising their children. 74% of the nursing & midwifery professions are made up from the female gender.

 

During the last Thursday’s meeting, the Government informed MUMN that was ready to discuss the sectorial agreement at the Ministerial Cabinet level so to seek additional funding.

 

MUMN was ready to suspend all its directives when the agreements' proposals go up to Cabinet level.

 

Therefore, after analysing the Health Ministry Press Release, it is crystal clear that a U-turn was made by the Government and instead of going to Cabinet, decided to go to a conciliation meeting which has no authority to seek additional funding as promised by the Health Officials in our last meeting. 

 

This would be another "useless” meeting with the only purpose is to stop the nurses & midwives to fight for their rights as to have better working conditions.

 

Vile Threats - 

 

A cowardly unanimous source from the Health Ministry is already issuing threats of "contemplating" to take MUMN to court "for the sake of the patients", which is just a camouflage process to deprive nurses and midwives from their sectorial agreement. But on the other hand, the Government never "contemplated" of taking Steward to court for the millions given which could have been spend 'for the sake of the patients". Two weights to measures.

 

Due to the U-turn, MUMN is therefore querying the Government:-

 

1. A)       If the counter proposals conveyed to MUMN on the 6th of April 2023 are to be considered as FINAL from the Government? If this is the case, MUMN is ready to suspend its directives and summons its 4000 members to approve or disapprove these last proposals. The same nurses and midwives in the Extraordinary General Conference will then decide what action they deem fit.

 

1. B)  If the counter proposals given to MUMN in the 6th April 2023 are not the final ones, and the   Ministry of Health is prepared to offer better proposals as the Final ones, then such Final Proposals are to be sent immediately to MUMN via email and MUMN is ready to suspend its directives and summon its 4000 members to approve or disapprove these last proposals The same nurses and midwives in the Extraordinary General Conference will then decide what action they deem fit.

 

 It is now time to terminate the numerous meetings and for the Government to show its true colours by confirming its final proposals to all nurses and midwives. The Government should stop beating around the bush and not hide behind any conciliator.