President of the Bahamas Public Service Union Kimsley Ferguson says the issue of hazard pay not being paid to Public Hospitals Authority (PHA) employees has been resolved.
Ferguson outlined to reporters information that he received from PHA Managing Director Aubynette Rolle saying, “we have received the document in writing from the MD indicating that the hazard allowance would be paid during the month of April. We would have communicated with the MD asking whether or not there could have been a supplemental pay package put in place particularly just to address the hazard allowance so that persons could have gotten it in a more speedy fashion. However, that would have been a challenge. And so we’re pleased and satisfied that during April’s pay package that persons would receive there funding.”
The union president further explained how the allowances were being distributed, “it was being done in a tier fashion. And so the first tier of persons would have already been receiving it. Those who did not receive it initially those persons were receiving what you call a risk allowance and now they were upgraded to the actual hazard pay for some which would be $200 a month. And the hazard pay was actually graded high, medium and low, high being the ones receiving the $200 monthly, medium $150, $100 and right down to the clerk that would work on the ward that would receive something. So a number of persons would have been captured in the hazard allowance. And so basically almost everybody will be receiving some sort of hazard pay.”
