JUNOR... it is unfortunate that they have chosen this route

GOVERNMENT medical technologists who were yesterday ordered by the Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) to return to work, vowed that they would continue their strike for more pay.

The medical technologists have in the meanwhile, scheduled a meeting for 10:00 this morning to decide on further action, according to Norman Blake, senior delegate for the Union of Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP), which represents the workers.

However, Health Minister John Junor told reporters in Kingston yesterday that if the technologists failed to obey the back-to-work order the government would be forced to take the dispute to court.

"If they fail to obey that order, there is clearly going to be court action which would seek an injunction," Junor said.

"It is unfortunate that they have chosen this route to refuse the proper procedures that ought to be taken under the Industrial Disputes and Labour Relations Act and are continuing industrial action," Junor said at a press conference later in the afternoon yesterday.

At the same time, he said the government was considering the divestment of the services provided by medical technologists at the Blood Bank, government laboratories and hospitals.

"We have made arrangements to have private labs contracted for the emergency services that we will need as well as the Blood Bank and we are giving very serious contemplation to contracting out these services permanently," Junor told the Observer yesterday.

"It is time government examine that option as the ministry cannot continually be held at ransom by workers whose actions are irresponsible," he added.

Yesterday, the Blood Bank and hospitals across the island reported that they had started feeling the effects of the strike.

"Our major problem is the availability of blood, right now we don't have any blood at the moment, and that affects everyone," said Lynden Buchannan, CEO at the St Ann's Bay Hospital.

Director of the Blood Bank, Lundie Richards, said no processing was done yesterday, but plans were being put in place to process blood today to ensure there is enough to serve throughout the weekend.

"There are no medical technologists working in the Blood Bank now, and not only the Blood Bank is affected, but also the hospitals," Richards told the Observer. "The Haematology Clinic at KPH, for instance, largely awaits the blood results in order to treat the patients. Most of those patients have cancer, and have to take very toxic drugs, so it is based on their blood counts that treatment is administered. So quite a number of those patients had to go to private institutions today to get blood tests done, but I know a number of them could not be treated since they depend on the subsidised blood tests which we do here."

The Kingston Public Hospital, the island's largest, also put in place contingency measures to deal with the shortage of blood.

"The KPH should be okay once there are no major emergencies, where there are large numbers of people coming in," said CEO Donald Farquharson. "But based on my discussions with the national lab, they have put in their own contingency measures and have scheduled up 'till Monday morning. Failing that, we have also put in a contingency measure -- an arrangement with a private lab should there be any problems."

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