After months of lobbying, the islands nurses are to get millions of dollars owed to them in allowances.

It’s understood that the nurses are to be paid the outstanding $500 m dollars of the $1 b that was owed in allowances.

However, their other grouse relating to the implementation of the reclassification exercise is not yet settled.

The Finance Ministry and the Nurses’ Association of Jamaica (NAJ) reached agreement on the payment of outstanding allowances.

The agreement was arrived at during a meeting held today (September 8) with Labour Minister, Pearnel Charles, at the Ministry’s North Street Offices in Kingston.

Minister Charles told Irie FM News that the parties have agreed that the Finance Ministry will arrange for payment of outstanding allowances to public sector nurses by the end of October.

These include professional accessories and uniform, supper and traveling allowances arising from night duty and the 2:00 p.m. to 10:00 p.m. shift.

The meeting to continue discussions on the reclassification of nurses is scheduled for 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, September 22, at the Labour Ministry.

The nurses have been taking action to press government to honour outstanding matters from the 2008/2010 wage Heads of Agreement as well as the job reclassification exercise, which will see them getting more pay.

Between Wednesday and Friday of last week, registered nurses called in sick at public hospitals islandwide, in what the NAJ had described as a public education campaign, to highlight their plight.

The matter was put before Cabinet on Monday.