UCASE blasts gov't for treatment of public dental surgeons

   

The Union of Clerical Administrative and Supervisory Employees (UCASE), which represents government paid dental surgeons, has blasted the Ministry of Finance over its treatment of the dental surgeons.

 

The dental surgeons, who took industrial action Monday to protest the delay in settling their wage package under the compensation review, continued their protest Wednesday by gathering at the head offices of the Finance Ministry's Transformation Implementation Unit (TIU) in Kingston.

 

UCASE President Vincent Morrison told Radio Jamaica News that the Ministries of Finance and Health have refused to meet with the union to discuss the concerns of the dental surgeons.

 

"We have not heard from the Ministry of Finance. We have not heard from their employers, the Ministry of Health or the regional authorities. One of the reasons why the doctors went out had to do with the lack of communication that has transpired between the Ministry of Finance over this issue, because we have been writing, calling and trying to get meetings to talk to them but that has not been coming," he complained, arguing that the retention and attraction of the dental surgeons is important to the discussions. 

 

Mr. Morrison said he is disturbed by the lack of respect being shown to the dental surgeons, citing equipment issues as well as the proposed removal of travelling allowance. 

 

"The Ministry of Finance wants to take away this allowance but this is not practical because when a dentist moves from base to the schools, to the old age home, to wherever, they have to move the equipment and they are travelling officers," the UCASE president pointed out. 

 

Dr. Vanessa Kiffin, President of the Jamaica Association of Public Dental Surgeons, told Radio Jamaica News on Wednesday morning that the group met with the executive director of the TIU who informed them that they should bring their concerns about the compensation restructuring exercise directly to the Ministry of Finance. 

 

The surgeons then moved their protest from the TIU to the offices of the Ministry of Finance.