The Gibraltar Health Authority notes with disappointment the statement issued today by Unite the Union regarding the payment of extra days to the Nursing Workforce.

Extra days are accrued by staff who work bank holidays during the year. In June 2023, the GHA agreed with Unite that the accrued days would be added onto the annual leave balance up to a maximum of 5 days, which would need to be taken as a block period during the year. The balance would then be paid to staff at the end of the year.

The implementation of this agreement has unfortunately failed on both sides, with management commencing the calculation of accrued extra days in the new year, and staff not taking the annual leave during the year.

The GHA met with Unite representatives in January to provide an update on this matter and set out an expected timeline for the matter to be resolved by 16 February 2024. Due to various factors, including the resolution and processing of other Unite claims in such a short period of time, the payment has had to be delayed to 27 February 2024.

The Minister for Health, the Hon Gemma Arias-Vasquez, further noted the press release issued by Unite and stated that the dispute had not been brought to her attention by Unite prior to the 15th February, nor was she made aware of the underlying facts by Unite. HMGoG does not get involved in HR issues within the GHA, which are for the Director of Workforce and the Director General. Minister Arias-Vasquez confirmed that she has sought an explanation from the GHA, which had been provided to her in the evening of the 19th February, i.e. yesterday. She noted that the GHA had tried to resolve the issue, and had given an apology upon not being able to meet the deadline for payment. Assurances had been given that (1) payment would be made on 27th February, and (2) the GHA would use their best endeavours to ensure that future payments were met promptly.

Before the public statement issued by Unite, the GHA had offered several apologies and considered all possible alternatives. The GHA takes this opportunity to thank our staff and colleagues for their invaluable work, commitment and understanding.