Medical Doctors’ Association accepts wage offer from Gov’t
KINGSTON, Jamaica – The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) on Sunday voted to accept the Government’s wage offer.
President of the JMDA, Dr Mindi Fitz-Henley, said 95 percent of those who voted on Sunday during a special meeting of the JMDA elected to accept the offer.
“The JMDA met with its membership this evening, and the outcome of the vote is that 95 per cent of persons voted to accept the new compensation package from the Ministry of Finance,” Fitz-Henley said.
Minister of Finance and the Public Service, Dr Nigel Clarke, during a four-hour long opening presentation in the 2023/24 Budget Debate inside Gordon House, announced that $4.3 billion has been tacked on to the budget for this fiscal year to settle wage agreements with some of the major public sector groups, which ends on March 31.
READ: Wage pact near
Fitz-Henley said the wage offer will protect and allow future generations of doctors to properly be hired in posts.
“It is important to note that with this offer, we get all of our doctors currently employed in a contract into a post and we also protect the future generation of doctors to come by, ensuring that they also have to be hired into a post,” she added.
On Friday, March 10, Ministry of the Finance and the Public Service sent a new wage offer to members of the Jamaica Constabulary Force, hours after the leadership of the groups representing the cops denied that they had rejected a proposed pay package from the Government.
The police are presently reviewing the latest offer from the Government and as of now represent the largest group of public sector employees yet to sign as teachers also voted to accept the offer on Sunday.