THE ISLAND'S government-employed nurses say they will protest if full payment of their allowances for tailoring and accessories is not made by today.
The allowance is used to pay for uniforms, shoes and other accessories they wear on the job.
Up to yesterday afternoon, the nurses said they had received only half the payment due as offered by Health Ministry officials. At its general meeting last week the leadership of the Nurses' Association of Jamaica (NAJ), was mandated to seek payment from government by today.
But with this not forthcoming the NAJ says it will protest.
"Come tomorrow, we will carry out the action we planned," Iris Wilson, NAJ president, told The Gleaner yesterday.
She said the action would not totally disrupt the health services as they were still awaiting word from the Finance Ministry.
She added that at a meeting last Thursday with Health Ministry officials, they promised discussions with the Ministry of Finance with a view to seeing whether payments could be made by May 31.
Payment is usually made in one lump sum at the end of April but the Finance Ministry told nurses that for this year it could not make payments of $30,832 per annum for Levels One and Two nurses and $32,065 for Levels Three to Ten nurses. Instead, officials offered to pay 50 per cent of the money in May and the other 50 per cent in July. The nurses said they were not willing to wait until July.
Finance Ministry officials were unable to shed light on the matter yesterday, but John Junor, Minister of Health, and George Briggs, Permanent Secretary, speculated that additional expenses by the government such as paying retroactive money to the workers in the Fire Service and to those involved in the Air Jamaica pension fund might have had an impact on availability of money to pay the nurses.
Mr. Junor said he was hoping to have the matter cleared up quickly and has set up a meeting for Tuesday between the NAJ and the Finance Ministry.
