MONTEGO BAY, St James – The management of the Cornwall Regional Hospital yesterday withdrew suspension letters served last week on four medical technologists employed to the institution, averting an islandwide strike by medical technologists.

The hospital also rescinded its decision to suspend another six medical technologists this week, during a meeting held between the Union of Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP), which represents the workers, and the hospital’s management.

Last Friday, St Patrice Ennis, the union’s general secretary, warned that failure by the hospital’s management to withdraw the suspension letters yesterday would lead to medical technologists islandwide going on strike to support their colleagues here.

Last night, Ennis told the Observer that while the union was happy with the outcome of yesterday’s meeting, it would be seeking further meetings with the hospital’s management to discuss the matter of procedures governing industrial relations.

“The suspension of the workers is another example that the hospital’s management is not following the established procedures so we will be meeting with them to resolve this,” Ennis said.

Last Thursday, the more than 20 medical technologists at the hospital walked off the job to protest against the disciplinary action taken against 10 of their colleagues, who allegedly refused to attend a European Union-funded workshop at the hospital in July.

Four of the workers were suspended last Thursday while the others were scheduled to be suspended this week.

The employees, the union said, believe that their colleagues were unjustly suspended and called for their immediate reinstatement.

The protest adversely affected laboratory services at the institution, resulting in the hospital being able to handle only emergency cases.