UJ nurses press ahead with strike over pay hike

AMMAN — Nurses at the University of Jordan (UJ) Hospital continued their strike on Saturday demanding improved working conditions and increased pay after discussions with the university president "bore no fruits".

Jordan Nurses and Midwives Association chief Khaled Rababaa told The Jordan Times on Saturday that a meeting was held on Thursday with UJ President Abdul Karim Qudah after they staged a strike on Tuesday but the talks failed to reach an agreement. 

The strike will continue until the nurses’ demands are met, Rababaa said, adding, “the purpose is not to hinder work”.

"Every nurse in the hospital said that they will make up for any missed work after working hours and during official days off, because we do not want to make things hard for the patients but just simply what is rightfully ours," he said.

Rababaa said that the university administration has “arbitrarily” dismissed some of the nurses and moved others to different hospitals after last week's strike, noting "the association will not stand idle by in regards to such decisions, and will take legal measures if the decisions are not cancelled". 

The association blames UJ and its administration for “hindering the work and any damage caused to the patients” due to the strike, "due to their unfair decisions that deprive patients of proper healthcare," Rababaa said.

The association president said that the strike excluded the emergency, dialysis and pharmaceutical wards.

The nurses were scheduled to hold talks with the UJ president on Saturday at 5pm.

The Jordan Times tried to contact Rababaa later Saturday regarding the outcome of the meeting but he did not return calls for comment. 

Qudah was also not available for comment on Saturday.

Rababaa told The Jordan Times last week that their demands include increasing the incentives given to nurses and midwives from 6 per cent to 15 per cent.

In response to last week's strike, Qudah said at the time that the salaries and incentives of nurses and midwives at the UJ Hospital "are the highest in the Kingdom".

He added that the university is facing critical financial conditions paying salaries, noting “everyone on staff has demands, not only nurses”.