KINGSTON, Jamaica — Following months of deliberations, registered nurses today signed a wage agreement for the contract period 2015-17 with the Government.

A 36-points claim for improvements in wages and fringe benefits was submitted to the Government by Nurses Association of Jamaica in April of this year.

 “…The Government of Jamaica is appreciative of the support and understanding from the NAJ over the period of the negotiations. Further, while we were not able to satisfy all the claims as initial proposed, the NAJ knows that this settlement is the best that the Government can do given the tight fiscal space within which we operate,” said minister with responsibility for the Public Service Horace Dalley.

Under this agreement, the payment of outstanding amounts for the Health Sector Reclassification Exercise will be made to the Nurse in November 2015 and January 2016, as well as to all other health sector workers. The Government has also agreed to assist with the education and training of nurses in the provision of sponsorship for tertiary studies.