Hospital staff stop work

By JIMMY KALEBE
THE Angau Memorial Hospital has addressed certain issues relating to staff entitlements while other outstanding issues would be addressed individually, chief executive officer Grant Muddle says.
He said over the past six months, he had requested that issues surrounding staff entitlements be brought to him to be addressed.
“Till now, there is no shift allowances, travel allowances, overtime and other entitlements pending apart from others that have been addressed,” he said.
He made these comments after workers walked off their jobs citing the delay of entitlement payments and his resignation as the CEO.
He said if there were outstanding entitlements that needed to be addressed, it should been raised to him.
“There are processes that can be followed to have those queries solved and in July, I have raised the issue of pay to workers so that such issues can then be looked at thoroughly,” he said.
The Angau workers in their demand called for the Angau administration under Muddle to pay all outstanding entitlements.
They called for the resignation of Muddle claiming he has created confusion and is not complying with what has been set regarding the staff’s entitlements.
As of yesterday morning, staff from all departments walked off their jobs demanding their concerns be addressed by close of business yesterday or the stop work will continue for an indefinite period. The National, while visiting the hospital wards saw patients queuing, some in critical conditions waiting to be served.
Speaking on behalf of the hospital workers, Dr Jimmy Kari said they demanded that Muddle be replaced.
He said the workers entitlements include leave fares, off duty calls, overtime, gratuities, national public based salary structure for 2019, shift allowances and higher duty allowances.
Morobe Governor Ginson Saonu assured the workers that his government would take the matter up and try to address it at their level.
It is understood that the workers have given their grievances through a petition to the Governor late yesterday. He said the call for the CEO’s resignation was something that the Provincial Health Authority would look into.