Government urges nurses to abandon sit-in protest and resume duties
BY MAVIS N PODOKOLO
NURSES on sit-in protest have been asked by government to return to duty.
Government has labelled the peaceful sit-in protest staged by nurses, beginning Friday last week, as illegal and has admitted that their allowance demands cannot be afforded.
As such, government is appealing to the goodwill of the protesting nurses to return to work.
Dr Jimmie Rodgers, Secretary to Prime Minister and Member of the Oversight Committee, made the call yesterday.
“Please nurses wherever you are and you are in this illegal sit-in protest because it has not been approved by the authorities please stop and get back to work to serve your people and do the job that you were call for and be response to the oath that you swear,” Rodgers said in a talk-back show yesterday.
“Nurses we respect you and value your services, but don’t take advantages of our covid-19 situation,” he added.
He said the government is supporting the nurses but what Solomon Islands Nurses Association (SINA) has done to drive individual nurses is wrong.
“Individual decisions is on you nurses because you are the members.
“What you are doing now is not what you are called for.
“I ask you to think about the patients and return to duties.
“Whatever the actions are and investigations come you go back to work that would work in your favour.
“This country belongs to us, our job is to protect it and protect the people when we are given the privilege to serve let us serve faithfully.
“The gain comes as reward it should not be driving us.
“Nursing colleagues please stand with us, stand with our people.
“We have agreed with SINA on the 4th of October on how to move forward but why SINA drive this issue and why they are convincing nurses and not telling nurses the outcome of the meeting.
“Please your people need you, the services need you, we ask you to think about your families and our people and participate with us to serve our people and our country.
“We need you in this hour.”
Michael Larui, the National Director for Nursing said:
“For this sit-in protest, I don’t know what will happen but we don’t want the patients to remain unattended.”
