Association wants DPM to end talks with agreement signing

THE Papua New Guinea Nurses Association (PNGNA) is calling on the Department of Personnel Management (DPM) to ensure negotiations over their awards end with signing of a memorandum of agreement on Aug 7, an official says.
The association and its four regional representatives called on the government to respond to their log of claims within a week or they would stage a nationwide sit-in protest because nurses could not continue to work in the frontline without being properly compensated.
PNGNA president Frederick Kebai said DPM had initiated negotiations with them yesterday and would organise a meeting between the Health Department, Treasury and PNGNA tomorrow.
He said following the meeting with DPM, the nurses were withdrawing the call they had made to stage a sit-in protest on Aug 1.
“However, we will not deviate from our demands,” he said.
“We want the 2019 -2021 awards to be approved followed by the signing of the MoA so that the regional representatives can return to their provinces.
“Fourteen days from now, by mid-August, we would like the award to be in place.”
Kebai stressed that the cash flow issues in the country could not be used as an excuse in delaying the approval of the awards.
He said the awards determined the minimum allowance for risk, shift work, overtime, potential risk and insurance and needed to be approved.
He said the nurses were the frontline workers in the Covid-19 response and when the award was approved the nurses would be compensated well for their roles.
He added that it was time the nurses were recognised for the important role they played not only in the Covid-19 emergency but in previous ones as well.
“PNGNA is fighting for the rights of more than 4,000 nurses who are financial members of the association.”