Normality should return to the public-health sector today as protesting nurses agreed to begin heading back to work yesterday.

Sparked by a letter from Audley Shaw, minister of finance and the public service, which informed that implementation of reclassification would be put in place 14 weeks later than expected, nurses across the island had been fired up since the start of the week.

They marched on Gordon House where they were appeased by neither Prime Minister Bruce Golding nor Health Minister Ruddy Spencer.

On Wednesday, the nurses boycotted a meeting convened by the Ministry of Labour and Social Security.

Late Wednesday, many failed to show up for work, forcing hospitals to treat only emergency cases, postpone elective surgeries and send non-critical patients home.

However, yesterday representatives of the Nurses' Association of Jamaica (NAJ) showed up for an emergency meeting at the labour ministry involving representatives from the NAJ, the health and finance ministries and the University Hospital of the West Indies.

Full resumption

It has been agreed that there will be full resumption of work starting with the 2-10 p.m. shift yesterday and no later than the 10 p.m.-7 a.m. shift between last night and today.

It was also agreed that the NAJ would await the decision of Cabinet at its next meeting with respect to the reclassification exercise for nurses.

There should also be no victimisation by either side.

Labour Minister Pearnel Charles said it was important that this agreement could be reached in the national interest as the nurses play a vital role in the country.

NAJ President Edith Allwood-Anderson also expressed satisfaction with the agreement.

"It is indicative that we can all work together," Allwood-Anderson said.