By Paul A Reid, Staff ReporterWESTERN BUREAU:
THREE MEDICAL technologists from the Cornwall Regional Hospital in Mt. Salem, St James, who were charged along with their Kingston and St. Catherine counterparts for ignoring an Industrial Dispute Tribunal's (IDT) back-to-work order, will return to the Montego Bay Resident Magistrate's Court today.
Warren Williams, Ratcliff Shakes and Winston Wilkes are each facing three counts of failure to obey a ruling by the IDT in February to cease industrial action and joined their colleagues in not turning up for work. They had appeared in court on March 21 but the attorney representing them, Raymund King, had asked the court for time to get familiar with the case and also to reschedule it closer to the court appearance of the Kingston and St. Catherine-based med techs who would be returning to court.
In their first appearance, the men had been supported by at least 10 of their colleagues who turned up at the court. In February, med techs withdrew their services for four days, pressing their case for a salary increase that would see an increase in their pay scale up to the level of scientific officers who, they say, perform similar duties.
The matter was referred by the Ministry of Labour to the IDT, which ordered the technicians back to work. They defied the order and the Director of Public Prosecutions made an order for them to be served with summonses to appear in court.
