Registered nurses in Jamaica will be experiencing one of their worst Christmases in many years. After a lengthy and exhausting period of negotiations between the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) and the Government, registered nurses were given the impression that they could somewhat relax and enjoy the festive season.
This expectation was short-lived however, following submission of the payment schedule by the Ministry of Finance. Nurses could not believe their ears when news broke that they were only going to receive two months' retroactive salary and allowances.
How could this be when the Jamaican government owes registered nurses all of 20 months' retroactive salary and allowances? Is this a punishment for the hard battle that nurses fought during the reclassification exercise to receive a reasonable pay package? In this respect, your guess is certainly as good as mine.
Critical economic factors
During the salary negotiations, Ministry of Finance officials kept reminding the NAJ that only $430 million was available for registered nurses. This limited sum of money restricted any increase that nurses could obtain outside of the 15 per cent on salary as stipulated by a third memorandum of understanding (MOU).
From rough calculations, it was quite evident that this amount was far from enough to cover the 20 months of retroactivity for the public sector's approximately 3,000 registered nurses.
In fact, an average increase of $10,000 monthly for these nurses over a 20-month period would amount to approximately $600 million. This sum does not include the allowances or sessional duties which 95 per cent of nurses are compelled to do in order to survive.
It is estimated that the 15 per cent increase on all items for nurses should cost the government approximately $1.2 billion.
Since so much is owed to the nurses, what were the reasons for allocating this measly $430 million for remunerating them?
It is no secret that certain public sector groups got significant increases in salaries and fringe benefits earlier this year. To what extent were the nurses taken into account during the Government's budgeting and financial management?
Salary advanced
To add salt to wound, a letter was sent to the NAJ from the Ministry of Finance reminding them of the $50,000 which was advanced to nurses in December 2008.
It should be noted that nurses who were employed after December 2008, would not have benefited from such salary advance while beneficiaries (still in the system) would have earned at least one year's retroactive increase. Interestingly, that $50,000 advanced to nurses last December was the net payment which actually valued $70,422.54. The latter figure is inclusive of 25 per cent income tax, plus two per cent each on National Housing Trust and education tax, respectively.
The gross amount ($70,422.54) would have amounted to $211,267,620 for the public sector's approximately 3,000 registered nurses. Though government officials kept on saying that $430 million was available, we later learned that last year's salary advance (totalling approximately $211,267,620) has been withheld to ensure an early recovery of those funds.
This is indeed a bitter pill to swallow but registered nurses have no alternative but to grin and bear it.
I am, etc.
NOEL JULIUS
Jules2712@yahoo.com