Opposition parliamentarians have said they will refuse to accept their salary increase until the Government resolves the ongoing salary disputes with the police and nurses.
In a statement yesterday, Opposition Leader Bruce Golding urged Prime Minister Portia Simpson Miller to resolve the issue to prevent a "dangerous national crisis."
He said that if there was no resolution to this crisis, he would forego the wage increase to Opposition parliamentarians until it is settled.
Speaking at a mass meeting in Black River Square on Friday night, Mr. Golding said that whenever there was a serious crisis, the Prime Minister, as the person principally charged with government policy, should call in the responsible ministers, get the facts, and deal with the matter personally.
Betrayed trust
He said that the Government had betrayed the trust of the people and had allowed a number of unacceptable conditions to persist. He cited the low pay of nurses and policemen, who, he said, often worked 60 hours weekly, and who could not leave work until someone came to relieve them.
He said nurses are often seen at bus stops, but "if we really respected them we would pay them enough to let them afford a little car."
Mr. Golding was speaking at the end of the third day of the JLP's islandwide campaign tour which started in Montego Bay, and travelled to Hanover and Westmoreland.
