By Trudy Simpson, Staff ReporterTHERE ARE signs of growing support for Government medical technologists, who stayed home again yesterday despite Government's threats of court action if they do not resume work.
In the meantime, the Blood Bank, the National Public Health Laboratory and other hospitals are feeling the pinch caused by the loss of their services, despite the contingency measures implemented.
Yesterday, medical technologists at the private University Hospital of the West Indies (UHWI) issued a statement, with over 30 signatures attached, in support of their public service colleagues.
"We... view with regret the obvious contempt and ignorance displayed to our profession by the Government," they said. They called for a speedy resolution to the issue, adding that "we are in solidarity with the position of our colleagues in the Government, and are prepared to act in full support of their fight for justice."
On the weekend, a statement signed by Senator Dwight Nelson, vice-president of the Jamaica Confederation of Trade Unions (JCTU), expressed dismay at the Government's threat to dismiss the medical technologists, who he described as "loyal and hard-working public servants who have been given a raw deal". He urged the Government to take steps to resolve the issue.
As the strike continues, elective surgeries have been cancelled at many hospitals which have been forced to reserve blood supplies for emergency cases, the Ministry of Health said in a statement yesterday.
Head of the Blood Bank, Dr. Lundie Richards, said that while blood was being collected, processing the units and making platelets and other blood by-products have come to a halt with the absence of the med techs, whom he described as being critical to the service.
He said that the Blood Bank could only ask private labs to handle specific tests, but not the range that the Bank could do on its own. He said that it would cost a fortune to have all processing done by private labs.
A tally submitted by the Health Ministry showed that there are 258 units of blood, besides the units collected yesterday, which have not been processed and that there are another 58 units which have been partly processed.
The more than 80 med techs have been off the job since last Thursday, over a claim that they are entitled to the same pay as Government-employed scientific officers because they do the same duties and often train scientific officers.
The Government has denied this, and has stated that the technologists are part of the essential services and are breaching the Labour and Industrial Relations Act (LRIDA) by going on strike. If convicted, they can face fines of up to $50,000 plus $2,000 for each additional day that the offence continues.
But, up to yesterday, the striking med techs and their union, the Union of Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP), said that they had not been served any court summons. They, however, reiterated that they were prepared to go to jail for a "just cause". They were joined by UTASP general secretary, Reg Ennis, who met with the delegates yesterday.
The technologists may also get support from other paramedical groups, with whom they are to meet on Thursday.
"We are meeting with the Joint Council of Paramedics on Thursday and we have some other people who say they are going to try to mediate," said Leford Bennett, chief union delegate at the UTASP.
The council is an umbrella organisation for other paramedical groups, such as pharmacists, radiographers, physiotherapists, contact investigators, public health officers and dental nurses.
Mr. Bennett said that the meeting would begin at 2:00 p.m. and that the council would issue a statement.
The salaries of scientific officers start at more than $700,000 per annum, compared to the medical technologists' starting pay of $463,000 per year.
Talks between both sides broke down last week and the Government referred the matter to the IDT which on Thursday issued a back-to-work order which the medical technologists have defied.
It was the second time this month that technologists stayed off the job, first going on strike between January 2 and 6.
