Tough-talking Edith Allwood-Anderson, president of the Nurses Association of Jamaica (NAJ), yesterday threatened to renew the nurses' campaign for better wages if there is no word from the Government today.

"I don't believe the Government respects us at all, and we want them to know that we have resumed the campaign," said Allwood-Anderson.

"September cannot be the same, we can't continue like this because we don't have any money," she continued. "We need some money, the nurses, the women need money to send their children back to school."

Allwood-Anderson was speaking at an NAJ general meeting at the association's headquarters in Kingston.

She said that for far too long registered nurses have been lenient with the Government, and that the time has come for the leniency to stop.

Allwood-Anderson stopped short of saying what action the nurses would be taking, but noted that "nurses do get sick too", and that the NAJ will also be actively engaging overseas recruiters.

"As to what form the protest will take, will unfold, and we have never disappointed the minister in unfolding what we have to," said Allwood-Anderson to cheers from about 50 nurses who attended the meeting.

"Nurses are heading to their caskets and we are not afraid anymore. We are not going to be threatened," she continued.

The nurses have been fighting for, among other things, a reclassification exercise and retroactive payments.

Despite their calls on the Government to set a date to proceed with the reclassification exercise in July, they said they are yet to receive a favourable response.