The head of one of the Caribbean region’s leading public sector trade unions has moved to quash swirling rumors and misinformation surrounding stalled wage talks for public health workers, confirming that negotiations have hit a long-awaited key turning point.
Felisha Thomas, president of the Public Services Association (PSA), made the clarifying remarks in an official statement shared to the union’s Facebook page on Wednesday, pushing back against growing online and offline commentary that claimed the organization had sidelined employees of regional health authorities (RHAs) and left their salary demands out of ongoing bargaining processes. Thomas dismissed these claims as deliberate bad-faith attempts to stoke internal conflict and manufacture unnecessary anxiety among frontline and administrative health workers.
“Let me state clearly and unequivocally: the PSA has not forgotten RHA workers, nor have you been left out of negotiations,” Thomas emphasized in her address.
The collective bargaining process for RHA employees was formally launched by the union back in January 2026, when PSA tabled its formal proposals to authorities. The union’s demands include a 10% across-the-board base salary increase, as well as the permanent consolidation of the existing Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA) into workers’ base pay.
Thomas confirmed that since the submission of these proposals, the process has adhered strictly to the long-standing, standardized administrative framework that has guided all prior RHA wage negotiations. Under the established rules, after the union submits its demands, regional health authorities must first conduct detailed financial modeling to calculate three core cost components: the ongoing annual recurrent expenditure that would come from implementing the revised salary scale, the value of back pay owed to currently active RHA employees, and the total arrears due to retired RHA workers who are covered by the current negotiating period.
These granular calculations, which are drawn directly from data on the total number of active and retired workers impacted by the new salary terms, are a non-negotiable prerequisite for moving the proposal up the administrative chain of command. Once finalized by the RHAs, the data is passed to the Ministry of Health for review before being forwarded to the Human Resource Advisory Committee, which issues formal guidance on next steps for implementation.
In a major update for workers, Thomas confirmed that the Ministry of Health has now completed all required calculations and formally submitted the full package of documentation to the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO) for the next phase of review. “This represents a significant milestone in the process and confirms that negotiations continue to progress through the established channels,” Thomas said.
The PSA president acknowledged that workers are eager for a resolution to the years-long wait for salary adjustments, but noted that the union cannot skip mandatory administrative procedures to speed up the process unilaterally. Even so, she stressed that union representatives have maintained constant engagement with government officials at every stage of the process, and are monitoring every development closely to keep the process moving forward.
Thomas once again pushed back against outside attempts to create frustration among RHA staff, reiterating that the current timeline and process match exactly the framework that has been used to complete and implement all previous RHA wage agreements.
Based on the progress achieved so far, the PSA expects that the CPO will issue formal implementation instructions in the near future, paving the way for final arrangements including the rollout of revised salaries.
“The PSA remains fully committed to securing a fair and equitable outcome for all RHA workers. We recognise the invaluable contribution made by healthcare professionals, administrative staff, technical personnel, support workers and all employees who continue to deliver critical services throughout the health sector,” Thomas said.
She closed by urging union members to ignore unfounded speculation and deliberate misinformation designed to split workers and distract from the ongoing bargaining process, reaffirming that the PSA will continue to prioritize RHA workers’ interests and provide timely updates as the negotiation process moves forward.