By Trudy Simpson, Staff ReporterGOVERNMENT MEDICAL technologists who are on strike again said yesterday they would not resume work this morning at 8 o'clock, as specified in the Industrial Disputes Tribunal's (IDT) back-to-work order.
But they are scheduled to meet at 10 o'clock to discuss the order.
Janice Wissart, chairperson of the Jamaican chapter of the Caribbean Association of Medical Technologists (CAMT), said yesterday that the technologists would meet to discuss and vote on the matter at the National Public Health Laboratory, Slipe Pen Road, Kingston about 10 a.m. The IDT ordered yesterday that their industrial action should cease "no later than 8 a.m. Friday."
The IDT issued the order at its first meeting on the dispute since the referral on Tuesday by Horace Dalley, Minister of Labour and Social Security. The tribunal said it was satisfied that "an unlawful industrial action" was occurring.
The medical technologists resumed their strike yesterday, after more than a week of talks between Government and the Union of Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP) which represents them, failed to resolve the dispute over parity with Government scientific officers.
The island's more than 80 Government medical technologists are claiming that they should be paid the same as the scientific officers, who do the same duties.
The Government insists that scientific officers have higher level job functions and higher qualifications.
The Government is adamant that the medical technologists, who are responsible for laboratory tests, including pap smears and analysing blood samples collected by the Blood Bank, are among those groups under the essential health services and are not only breaking the law by going on strike, but may lose their jobs if they continue to defy the IDT's ruling.
The medical technologists went on strike from January 2 to 6. They rejected Government proposals for a settlement, which included suggestions that they be reclassified, or that the salaries of those persons who supervise the scientific officers be increased to that of scientific officers through a one-time payment, or that Government remove all the scientific officers from the laboratories.
Yesterday, in the face of the strike, the National Public Health Laboratory, the Blood Bank and various public hospitals began implementing contingency plans to minimise the level of disruption which may be caused by the strike.
Reports are that supervisors are turning up for work and that blood and other specimens to be tested are being sent to private laboratories.
John Junor, Minister of Health, said yesterday that his Ministry had acted to ensure minimal disruption.
"We have, in relation to the Blood Bank, technologists from UHWI (University Hospital of the West Indies," assisting us in emergency cases for testing, blood collection, processing and cross-matching," Mr. Junor said at a press briefing at his office, King Street, on the downtown Kingston waterfront.
Mrs. Wissart, who works at the Bustamante Children's Hospital in Kingston, added that the hospital, yesterday "offered emergency medical services, but regular out-patient services were not offered. We told them (patients) that if they wished to do it at a private laboratory, they could. But, if not, we would be happy to do it for them when the dispute is resolved," Mrs. Wissart added.
