Hospital Outsources Laundry as Protesting Workers Face Possible Suspension

The Sir Lester Bird Medical Centre has outsourced some of its laundry operations as industrial action by laundry employees continues to affect the availability of clean linen and the delivery of patient care.

Director of Administration Danley Phillip said the hospital was forced to implement emergency measures after employees continued their protest action Thursday despite being instructed by the Human Resources Department to return to work.

“We have outsourced the laundry for now,” Phillip disclosed.

He said the hospital is paying a commercial company to process some of its linen while also considering the temporary engagement of people with previous experience working in the laundry department.

“We have sourced some people who we will probably pay overtime to wash the laundry people who might have worked in the laundry before and now have different full-time jobs,” he said.

Management may also recruit and train additional temporary workers if the disruption continues.

Phillip warned that employees who persist in refusing to perform their assigned duties could face suspension.

“If this persists, we are going to have to officially suspend the laundry workers,” he said.

The industrial action began after laundry employees reportedly refused to wash linen from the Sickle Cell Centre, arguing that the responsibility represented additional work.

Management rejected that claim, saying the same linen was already being processed by the department when the Sickle Cell Unit operated from within the hospital. The facility has since been relocated to improve patient care.

The employees were asked to produce evidence showing that the move had caused a significant increase in their workload, but Phillip said no supporting information was provided.

Instead, he alleged that the workers began processing the hospital’s linen slowly, resulting in shortages that affected bed availability and delayed the transfer of some patients to wards.

Phillip said hospital officials were not formally notified of Wednesday’s protest and learned about it through social media. Representatives of the employees later met with the Human Resources Department after receiving a letter directing them to resume work.

Despite that meeting, the protest continued Thursday.

Phillip said the hospital was attempting to handle the dispute with restraint but stressed that management could not allow the action to continue compromising patient care.

The employees have raised several concerns, including claims of outstanding COVID-19 payments and demands for increased compensation. Maintenance workers who joined the protest have reportedly requested a salary increase of approximately 60 per cent.

Hospital management has disputed claims that COVID-19 allowances remain outstanding, saying no such payments were formally approved for the laundry or maintenance employees.

The administration continues to urge the protesting workers to return to their duties while their concerns are pursued through established industrial-relations procedures.