The Industrial Disputes Tribunal (IDT) has ruled in favour of the Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association (JMDA) in its long-running overtime dispute with the Government, ordering that junior doctors be paid under a separate emergency-duty formula, retroactive to April 1, 2023.
In its award released on Monday, the IDT rejected the Government’s proposal to place doctors under the standard public-sector overtime policy, saying that system is incompatible with round-the-clock healthcare and patient safety.
Under the ruling, rostered doctors will receive time-and-a-half on weekdays, one-and-three-quarter times their hourly rate on their first day off and double time on their second day off. Higher rates will apply to doctors covering multiple hospitals and certain premium duties.
In a split decision, the tribunal also ordered the reinstatement of the Incentive Allowance for about 710 doctors not rostered for emergency duty, also backdated to April 2023.
The ruling puts the annual cost of the JMDA’s proposal at about $30.75 billion, roughly $7.76 billion more than the Government’s preferred system. The tribunal said the additional cost does not threaten Jamaica’s fiscal stability.
One panel member, Bernita Locke, dissented on the Incentive Allowance, arguing that the tribunal did not have jurisdiction to rule on the issue.
The award is binding on the relevant government ministries (including the ministries of Health and Wellness, Finance and the Public Service, and National Security and Peace); the four regional health authorities; and public health institutions, including the University Hospital of the West Indies and the Bellevue Hospital. It also binds all employers of the medical practitioners represented by the JMDA.
The award is final, subject only to a court challenge on a point of law.
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