Nurses threaten to withhold extra duty as row over pay escalates

2026-03-24 - 01:35

Senior Reporter jesse.ramdeo@cnc3.co.tt Industrial tensions in the public health sector are set to intensify, after Trinidad and Tobago National Nurses Association (TTNNA) president Idi Stuart warned that nurses may consider withholding extra-duty services in response to Government’s move to standardise pool rates. Speaking with Guardian Media yesterday, Stuart made it clear the association is prepared to force a costly shift in how nurses are compensated. “If they are mandated to work extra duty, the authority will have to pay overtime, time and a half, double time, triple time,” he said, arguing that nurses are under no obligation to accept extra shifts at the revised rates. The warning comes amid growing anger over what the TTNNA says is an unjustified rollback of long-standing arrangements, particularly for specialised nurses. Stuart contended that the move effectively erases distinctions between general and highly trained nurses, despite years of additional training. “They went further, underwent years of additional training, and now you’re telling them they will be paid the same as general ward nurses for extra duty. That is unheard of,” he said. He also accused authorities of inconsistency, arguing that while the State has maintained that Regional Health Authority (RHA) workers fall outside the remit of the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) when it comes to salary increases, it is now invoking the CPO to justify limiting payments. According to Stuart, Freedom of Information requests obtained by the association show that compensation decisions for RHA workers fall under the authority of RHA CEOs, not the CPO. Despite the Government’s position, Stuart said protest action will proceed as planned, with a demonstration carded for Friday, followed by a larger protest in Port-of-Spain on April 10. Stuart warned that comments from Health Minister Dr Lackram Bodoe have only intensified the situation. “It has only amplified the need to come out in our numbers,” Stuart said, while also renewing calls for Government to address what he described as the “fundamental issue” of nurses still operating on 2013 salaries. Addressing concerns about protesting during the ongoing State of Emergency (SoE), Stuart dismissed fears of detention, noting that planned actions will take the form of peaceful picketing within hospital compounds. “We have absolutely no fear,” he said, adding that officials have repeatedly stated the SoE is aimed at criminal elements, not law-abiding citizens exercising their democratic rights. He also confirmed that the TTNNA has written to the Commissioner of Police ahead of its demonstrations and, to date, no objections have been raised. In response, the Ministry of Health defended the adjustment, insisting it is not a reduction in pay but a correction of inconsistencies. In a statement to Guardian Media yesterday, Dr Bodoe said a review across all RHAs found that the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) had been paying nursing personnel above CPO-approved rates since 2020. “The NCRHA implemented corrective measures to align its payments with the approved CPO rates. This adjustment does not represent a reduction, but a standardisation to ensure consistency and equity across all RHAs,” the minister stated. He added that the Ministry remains committed to ensuring fair and transparent terms and conditions for nurses and midwives.