KINGSTON, Jamaica — Medical technologists employed at Victoria Jubilee and Kingston Public hospitals are back on the job following an emergency conciliatory meeting between their union and the Ministry of Labour and Social Security this morning.

The technologists reportedly stayed off the job yesterday in protest against the appointment of Dr Michelle Hamilton to the post of National Laboratory Services director.

The Labour Ministry in a release this afternoon said that at the meeting which was convened with the Union of Technical Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP) it was agreed that continued discussion will take place at the local level and normality will be restored.

Their union yesterday said that since 2014, medical technologists assigned to the National Public Health Laboratory, National Blood Transfusion Services, Emergency Labs, and Cross Match Units at the hospitals have written to the past director of laboratory services, director of human resource at the Ministry of Health (MOH), and permanent secretary in the MOH complaining about issues relating to Dr Hamilton.

The union said that none of the complaints has been resolved by the health ministry or the past director of the laboratory.

“The appointment of Dr Hamilton to the post of director of laboratory services without the resolution of one of the several complaints has prompted the medical technologists to embark on protest action.

“The medical technologists are demanding that the MOH resolve the plethora of issues involving Dr Hamilton before consideration be given to her installation to the post of director of laboratory services,” the union read.

Medical technologists, also known as clinical laboratory technologists, perform and analyse the results of complex scientific tests on blood and bodily fluids. These highly trained professionals work in hospitals and independent laboratories.