Nurses should get word soon

JAMAICA –  The island’s registered nurses should have a definitive statement from Government in two weeks on when the State will proceed with their reclassification.The Nurses’ Association of Jamaica (NAJ) has been putting pressure on the Bruce Golding administration to set a date as outlined in an Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) ruling.At a meeting with representatives of the NAJ Tuesday, Health Minister Rudyard Spencer vowed to hold talks about a date for the reclassification with the finance ministry over the two-week period.A dispute has been ongoing between the NAJ and the Government with regard to an overdue reclassification exercise, as well as the payment of retroactive salaries.Following a lengthy hearing, the IDT in January ruled that the State should immediately set a date for the start of the reclassification process, which would see an increase in wages and other benefits for the more than 2,000 nurses.NAJ President Edith Allwood-Anderson said after the meeting that the fixing of a date was essential in determining the way forward for the nurses.“To a large extent, we feel that there is a reasonable attempt being made by all in the ministry to try,” she told The Gleaner. “I believe, with all my heart, that we can’t continue . .  . so we need to sort it out.” (Jamaica Gleaner)