JNT deadline 4 pm today
The Joint Negotiating Team of Regional Health Authorities (JNT) has until 4 pm today to send the Medical Professionals Association of TT (MPATT) a Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on the new contracts for senior doctors which were negotiated by MPATT and the JNT and approved by the Public Sector Negotiating Committee (PSNC). In a release on Wednesday, MPATT President Dr Chunilal Ramjit said the Chairman of the JNT, Permanent Secretary Reynold Cooper, had telephoned MPATT after receiving a letter which was sent to him last Friday. He said MPATT was awaiting the MOA "as well as copies of relevant contracts, which are accurate and reflect the conclusion of negotiations." Ramjit said MPATT expected to receive the documents by this evening. In the letter to Cooper, MPATT announced that senior doctors would stop overtime work until it received in writing the agreement for salary increases for January 2003 to December 2005 and the assurance of the implementation of new salaries in November. MPATT also demanded the settling of arrears from January 2003 on or before December 30. The PSNC approved the pay increase for doctors in June. Contacted yesterday afternoon, Ramjit said he had not received the requested documents. Public health institutions were forced to operate in "emergency mode" from March 4 after doctors stopped overtime because of dissatisfaction with the "final" proposal submitted by the JNT. Doctors again threatened to stop overtime in June. They demanded that the composition of the JNT be changed and a timeframe set for the resolution of negotiations. They did not carry out the threat because their demands had been met.
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"JNT deadline 4 pm today"