Once again, Medical Laboratory Technicians (MLT’s) have displayed their gross discontent with their respective managements’ autocratic style of leadership. Since the Public Services Association (PSA) highlighted several issues shared from its membership a week ago via a multi-media report, many other MLT’s came forward to the PSA with their grievances.

In phone interviews over the weekend, MLT’s have expressed the complications that arise and exist with having to work under autocratic management. This further compounded a recent report where, the PSA, represented by Second Vice President (SVP), Avinash Maharajh, had called on the management of the North West Regional Health Authority (NWRHA) to desist from bullying MLT’s, predominantly permanent workers into shift systems.

This resulted in a meeting with SVP Maharajh and management, where the day before the shift system was to be implemented, workers rebelled, resulting in the delayed implementation of the shift system. In these interviews, MLT’s reconfirmed SVP Maharaj’s view that the main issue was in fact a reoccurring problem of shortage of staff that no shift system would be able to address.

Also highlighted by the MLT’s were lack of reagent and supplies to perform their duties. They have expressed that the Ministry of Health (MOH) and private sector laboratories, get serious about providing staff with the necessary essentials to perform their duties to an effective standard.

A number of them also spoke on issues with regards to salary compensations. According to the employees, their salary compensations were not in any way sufficient for the work, which they performed.

Reporter: Melissa Goodman