Patrina Pink, Jamaica Gleaner, July 18, 2011 Despite her organisation's acceptance of the Government's seven per cent wage proposal to public-sector workers, Nurses' Association of Jamaica (NAJ) President Anthonette Patterson is declaring she will not be entering an era of complacency and that the NAJ will not lose the momentum gained from years of demonstration. Patterson, speaking at the launch of the Lasco-funded National Nurses' Week at the Church of God of Prophecy in Saint Catherine, yesterday, made recommendations for Government in tackling the challenges facing the health sector. ... Nurses

Nadisha Hunter & Jerome Reynolds, Jamaica Gleaner, June 27, 2011 The joint group representing the Jamaica Teacher’s Association (JTA), the Nurses’ Association of Jamaica (NAJ), and the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA), in expressing solidarity with the police federation, will delay the signing of the Heads of Agreement for the seven per cent wage increase. Despite accepting the Government's proposal, the JTA, NAJ and JMDA will hold off on signing in hope that the Police Federation will also accept the Government's offer. ... Public

Jamaica Observer, June 26, 2011 The island's nurses, teachers and doctors have joined several other public sector groups in accepting the latest wage offer from the government. A joint press release yesterday afternoon indicated that the Nurses' Association of Jamaica (NAJ), Jamaica Teachers' Association (JTA), and the Medical Doctors' Association (MDA) had completed consultations with their members on the seven per cent wage offer and voted to accept it. "The membership of each association has voted to accept the terms of the offer made in a letter dated June 17, 2011 from the Government of Jamaica," read the joint release. ... Nurses

Nadisha Hunter, Jamaica Gleaner, May 6, 2011 Another group of Cuban nurses has joined the Jamaican health sector. The nurses, who arrived in the island yesterday, will be dispatched in the four health regions across the island to serve for two years. According to the Ministry of Health, the batch of 16 nurses represents the remainder of a total of 51 nurses who were recruited during a trip to Cuba by health ministry officials in June 2010. The first 35 started working in the public-health sector since January. ... More

Jamaica Information Service, November 20, 2010 Some 51 Cuban nurses are to arrive in Jamaica by January to ease the shortage at public health facilities across the island. Health Minister Honorable Rudyard Spencer, who made the disclosure on Thursday November 18, said that the nurses will be placed mainly in primary health care facilities. He was speaking on day-one of a one-week budget preparation retreat at the Jamaica Conference Centre, downtown Kingston, which is being attended by key stakeholders in the Ministries of Health, and Finance and the Public Service. ... 51

Jamaica Observer Editorial, October 17, 2010 No one can deny that Nurse Edith Allwood Anderson has been anything but a most passionate advocate for the welfare of nurses here. She has taken on successive administrations from prime minister right down, in her tireless effort to secure better working conditions and wages for the members of her profession. Who can forget those tapes which she flashed before the nation when Finance Minister Audley Shaw appeared to renege on his promise of better wages? ... Mrs

Alesia Edwards, Jamaica Observer, October 16, 2010 Ocho Rios, Saint Ann - After five straight years of championing the cause of registered nurses, the flamboyant Edith Allwood-Anderson is stepping down from the top job in the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ). Allwood-Anderson is to be replaced today as president of the NAJ at the end of the association's 40th Island Conference and 64th Annual General Meeting at the Sunset Jamaica Grande Resort in Ocho Rios, Saint Ann. Antoinette Leana Patterson - a registered general nurse at the Kingston Public Hospital and the 2009/10 Lasco Nurse of the Year - is to take over the leadership ... Allwood-Anderson

Jamaica Gleaner Editorial, September 10, 2010 That the Government appears to have settled one aspect of its pay quarrel with public-sector nurses is, on the face of it, a positive development. At the very least, it should mean some calm on the labour front, assuming the administration is able to keep its word and in October pay the nurses $525 million of the allowances it still owes on their 2008-2010 contracts. No one should believe, however, that the Government does not still face serious industrial relations problems, much of its own making, which is surprising, with so many senior members with backgrounds as trade unionists. ... Serious

Gov't, NAJ reach agreement for end of October payment. Nadine Wilson, Jamaica Observer, September 9, 2010 The Government, after months of lobbying by the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ), yesterday agreed to pay the island's registered nurses their outstanding allowances by the end of October. "I think it will come up to about $525 million, but you have to understand that it has to be divided among everyone. We have 10 levels of nurses and we have about eight special interest groups and regional groups throughout Jamaica, plus, we are looking at over 2,800 nurses," NAJ President Edith Allwood-Anderson told the Observer yesterday. ... $500M

Go Jamaica, September 9, 2010 The government’s decision to pay over monies owed to the Nurses Association of Jamaica has already started to have ripple effects. The Jamaica Association of Enrolled Nurses says it too is entitled to outstanding sums owed to its members in fringe benefits and salary increases. The enrolled nurses are supervised by registered nurses at health facilities. The call comes despite a request from the labour minister Pearnel Charles for other public sectors workers to ease their wage demands on the government. President of the association, Josephine Bedward says it’s unfair for the government to pay one group and not the other ... Enrolled

Finance ministry agrees to fork out outstanding allowances. Jamaica Observer, September 8, 2010 After months of jockeying the Government is to come good on its promises to pay nurses their outstanding allowances, with a payment date now scheduled for the month of October. An agreement was reached following a meeting between the Nurses Association of Jamaica and labour minister Pearnel Charles today. The nurses were assured that the finance ministry will pay outstanding allowances to them by the end of October. Reclassification discussions will continue at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 22 at the Ministry of Labour.

Go Jamaica, September 8, 2010 The Ministry of Finance and the Public Service and the Nurses’ Association of Jamaica (NAJ) have reached an agreement on the payment of outstanding allowances. A release from the Ministry of Labour and Social Security said that both parties have agreed that, the Ministry of Finance and the Public Service will arrange for payment of outstanding allowances to public sector nurses by the end of October 2010. The release also said that discussions on reclassification will continue at a meeting scheduled for Wednesday, September 22, 2010 at 10.00 AM at the Ministry of Labour and Social Security. ... Jamaican

Nadisha Hunter, Jamaica Gleaner, August 11, 2010 The Island’s registered nurses should have a definitive statement from Government, in two weeks, on when the State will proceed with their reclassification. The Nurses' Association of Jamaica (NAJ) has been putting pressure on the Bruce Golding administration to set a date as outlined in an Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) ruling. At a meeting with representatives of the NAJ yesterday, Health Minister Rudyard Spencer vowed to hold talks about a date for the reclassification with the finance ministry over the two-week period. ... Nurses

Go Jamaica, August 10, 2010 The island's registered nurses have decided to give the Government another two weeks to complete the process of setting a date for the implementation of their reclassification. Health Minister Rudyard Spencer today met with representatives of the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ) to discuss issues affecting the nursing sector. For some time now, the Association has been in dispute with the Government concerning an overdue reclassification exercise as well as the payment of retroactive salaries. Following their meeting, Spencer and the NAJ president, Edith Allwood Anderson, provided details as to what was discussed. ... Nurses

Jamaica Observer, August 10, 2010 The Ministry of Health announced that it has reached an agreement with the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ), after a meeting today. The discussions took place as a result of a letter from the NAJ to Spencer outlining issues which were expressed through six resolutions arising from a meeting held among nurses recently. The nurses were concerned about issues involving governance, re-classification and standby/on-call allowances. In a release to media Minister of Health Rudy Spencer described the meeting as satisfactory. ... Government