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By Jamaila Maitland
Medical Technologists from some public health facilities across the island say they were forced to protest afternoon.
The workers were drawn from Cornwall Regional, May Pen, Mandeville, Black River and Percy Junor hospitals.
Clad in black, with placards hoisted, the healthcare workers used their lunch break to mount their protest while confused patients looked on.
Senior Medical Technologist Donalado Montague says the action follows a significant breakdown in the wage negotiations between the med techs and their union - the Union of Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP).
"We didn't want it to reach this way, but we had no choice. The involuntary hunger strike that was brought upon us by the chief delegate whose name is on that document, it was forced on us. So we didn't want the public to be affected by our go-slow, and also our sit-out between our lunch hour, which is 12 to 1 (p.m.), but we had to make a stand."
Mr. Montague said the workers are restive but they are also afraid of victimisation.
"We are basically acting against what UTASP has been doing to us. They refused to sign the wage agreement, which is phase one, and move on to phase two. We are frustrated with the chief delegate who is adamant that he's not signing. We are clamouring for the thing to be signed, and for the government to intervene to give us some assistance," he pleaded.
Mr. Montague called for the intervention of the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Health and the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions.
He argued that medical technologists are unable to pay their bills, noting that their starting salary is $95,000, and with the new wage package offered by the government, this would increase to "upwards of $249,000".
Our newscentre tried to get a comment from UTASP President St. Patrice Ennis but did not receive a response up to news time.
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