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'Service users and their families used as pawns," says Disability Society
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The Gibraltar Disability Society, on behalf of the service users of St. Bernadette’s and their families, say they would like to thank the Care Agency and their staff for maintaining the opening of the Centre despite the refusal of 12 members of staff to fulfil their contracted duties.
"We also accept the apologies of the Care Agency for any shortcomings in the service that may have occurred during this industrial action," they say.
As the Disability Society has stated on many previous occasions St. Bernadette’s is an Occupational Therapy Centre for adults with disabilities and not an educational establishment and should therefore never have been allowed to close during school holidays. The staff are not under education department contracts and the service users are not children or students.
The Disability Society adds that it is saddened that the 12 members of staff who failed to work over the Easter period refuse to accept their contracts only allow them 25 to 30 days holiday. Their insistence in taking an extra 8 weeks holiday a year, funded by the taxpayer, has caused nothing but stress and hardship to the families of the service users particularly during the long summer period.
They add: "We find it intolerable that the 12 members of staff have basically, by refusing to work during the Easter period, used the service users and their families as pawns in their attempt to force the Care Agency to re-write their contractual leave entitlements. The 12 striking members of staff are aware that the adult disabled users of the service and their families have always needed support and consistent delivery of service but still chose to try and disrupt a service vital to the most vulnerable in our society. Shame on them."
However that said, the Disability Society gos on to hope that these 12 members of staff will accept that they have the same terms and conditions as all other civil servants and return to work to continue to provide an ever improving service to our members. "We also hope that the atmosphere created by this situation is no longer brought to the Centre as many of our members are well aware of the feelings of those around them," says a statement.
13-04-10
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