Nurses restive over unsettled compensation claims

By Clinton McGregor   

 

The island's nurses are restive.

 

The Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) called a meeting of its members on Thursday afternoon to register their disgust over what they say is the continued delay by the Ministry of Finance to settle their outstanding claims under the compensation review programme for 2022-2024.

 

The nurses say further meetings will decide their next move if the Ministry fails to meet with them to discuss their concerns.

 

The NAJ says on Tuesday it received a letter from the Ministry of Finance and Public Service which it says touched on matters that are not in keeping with what was previously proposed.

 

NAJ President Dawn Marie Richards says the matter must be addressed within 24 hours. 

 

"We need to know from the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service what next? We need to know that, and we need to know that urgently. We are not looking at the withdrawal of services. That is not where we are going. It is not about affecting patient care. It is about seeking to the welfare of the nurses of Jamaica," she suggested. 

 

"For the past two years, we have been carrying that topic on our meeting agendas. We had our last [meeting with the Ministry] of Finance on the 2nd of April 2024. At that meeting, some decisions should have been taken. We are not sure what is happening because we have not been able to meet with the minister since then again, or any member of the team," lamented the NAJ president. 

 

During the Association's third quarterly general meeting on Thursday afternoon, the nurses also demanded that the matter be resolved and all outstanding payments made by August.