JANITORS and porters employed to Lamasa – a company contracted to provide services to the Kingston Public Hospital and Bustamante Hospital for Children – yesterday walked off the job to protest against the company’s failure to provide them with health insurance.

The workers said, too, that retroactive salaries owed to them since 2005 have not been paid, and also called for National Housing Trust (NHT), and National Insurance Scheme (NIS) deductions to be paid over to the relevant agencies.

“When we work here we are exposed to all manner of things such as HIV and tuberculosis and we have to handle used needles and all kinds of things and we have no (health) insurance,” said Bernita Higgins, a worker of 11 years.

“Right now we are supposed to get Hepatitis B shots and if we don’t have the $3,000 to pay for it we can’t get it,” she added.

The workers alleged that they had been getting throat infections, skin rashes, as well as injuries from used needles, while one man said he broke his finger while cleaning a drain on the grounds of the Kingston Public Hospital and had to pay all his medical bills.

The workers also said that they did not receive adequate protective gear.

Robert Harris, a representative of the NWU, told the Observer that the union had written to the Ministry of Labour requesting an urgent meeting to resolve the situation.

Regarding the retroactive salaries said owed to the workers, chief union delegate Brian Martin said negotiations with the union and management began in December 2005 when it was agreed that the contract period would begin from then to November 30, 2007.