By Kimone Witter
Government paid dental assistants are protesting at the offices of the Ministry of Finance in Kingston against the lack of adjustments to their salaries under the public sector compensation review.
St. Patrice Ennis, General Secretary of the Union of Technical, Administrative and Supervisory Personnel (UTASP), said the protest is also taking place in other parishes.
The dental assistants are employed to hospitals and health centres. They were reportedly informed by the various health regions that instructions were not given for salaries to be paid under the new payment structure.
Mr. Ennis said the workers received an update Wednesday that the delay in the adjustment to their salaries is caused by the Ministry of Health, which has "done nothing in terms of instructing the various regions to make payments" despite it getting those instructions from the Ministry of Finance.
"So the protest is happening and we are uncertain as to what will happen, and I think that will depend on the words or what information is received from the respective ministries today," Mr. Ennis said.
The UTASP General Secretary said the Ministry of Finance and Ministry of Health should dialogue to resolve the issue, as the apparent bureaucracy is hurting the dental assistants, who are now finding it difficult to meet their financial obligations.
