Is NTUCB a Better Option for K.H.M.H. Board?  

Last week, the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Authority Workers Union (K.H.M.H.A.W.U.) sat down with the Prime Minister to discuss a proposed amendment to the K.H.M.H. Act. This change would have replaced the union’s representative on the hospital’s board of governors with someone from the National Trade Union Congress of Belize (N.T.U.C.B.). After some pushback from the union, the government agreed to let the union nominate two candidates, from which one would be chosen for the board. However, in an interview on Monday, Health Minister Kevin Bernard mentioned that he hadn’t been updated on the final decision and still supported the idea of appointing the N.T.U.C.B. representative. Here’s what he had to say.

 

Kevin Bernard, Minister of Health & Wellness

“The KHMH union represents the workers, they have been tasked with the, in fact the union representative who sits on the board and I will not go to my own personal perceptional views of Mister Baird that’s, that’s outside of this, has been given umpteen times to come up with a CBA that will best approach the issues that the workers and the employees of KHMH that falls under the union have been clamoring for.  We have not gotten at a single document to propose to the board.”

 

Reporter

“So it’s decided that he will be changed out now that you’re not going forward with that amendment?”

 

Kevin Bernard

“Well it’s not that he will be changed out. The KHMH Union suggests a member, I am the Minister of Health, to appoint members to the KHMH governing body Then they make their suggestions and if we feel that this suggestion that they are suggesting, I have received a letter that Mr. Alain Gonzalez is now going to be their representative to the board. However, we, I have not made any appointment of that nature yet because we are at the process where we were making an amendment. I still personally feel that The best approach is to put a member appointed by the NTUCB, but who is not a member of the Karl Heusner Memorial Hospital Union.  There’s many reasons for that. It’s to avoid conflicts and to also ensure that there’s wider representation from the National Trade Union Congress of Belize, who will also have a higher, a better voice, not only for the union members, but for every employee that is, that works under the Carl Huston Mural Hospital. I know that it has come out of House committee. We have not made a final decision as to whether we will proceed with this. We will look at and listen to the concerns and from there we will take it from there.”

 

Reporter

“The NTUCB president said though that you were backtracking after the meeting with the PM and the Minister of Public Service.”

 

Kevin Bernard

“Like I said I saw that they had a meeting with the prime minister, that we are going to cabinet today to do a follow up on that same discussion. So I will leave it at that.”