Extend hazard pay to additional workers

The government of Barbados is being called upon to extend the payment of hazard pay to other categories of workers, who can be considered to be working on the frontlines as well, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic.

Government has noted that nurses at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) are to be paid a hazard allowance, given that they have been working on the frontline, as the country continues to battle the current pandemic. However, such a move has triggered claims for pay from nurses in general across the public health system and there have been work stoppages at some polyclinics, as these nurses have sought to make their voices heard. The Barbados Nurses Association has even been quoted as stating that all nurses in the public service ought to receive hazard pay, because they are at risk in the COVID-19 environment. The National Union of Public Workers (NUPW) has of late sent in proposals for hazard pay for more front-line workers, noting that medical staff, pharmacists, orderlies, support staff and environmental health staff, should all benefit as well.

Now, David Denny, General Secretary of the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration (CMPI), who recently launched a “Labour News Barbados” initiative in Barbados, is calling for sanitation workers to be added to the list of workers receiving hazard pay.

“We support the Government’s position to pay a hazard allowance to medical workers, but we want the government to extend that hazard allowance to other areas, where we have dedicated workers,” Denny stated.

“Comrades and friends, our sanitation workers are (important) workers. Sanitation workers work to create the conditions for us to fight these viruses and diseases. So that the sanitisation worker plays a very important role, helping us to deal with our health conditions and therefore, the sanitisation worker along with all other workers at medical institutions, all of them should receive a hazard allowance. So the Caribbean Movement for Peace and Integration supports government extending the hazard allowance to sanitation workers and other workers that work within medical institutions,” Denny said.