Nurses association president suspends protest

AMMAN — Jordan Nurses and Midwives Association President Mohammad Hatamleh suspended a solo sit-in he started Monday after Prime Minister Abdullah Ensour pledged to seriously look into the association’s demands.

“I was invited for a meeting today with the premier after I started the sit-in,” Hatamleh told The Jordan Times. 

“I explained the public sector nurses’ demands, and the prime minister showed understanding and called for a meeting between me and the health minister to study these demands,” he added.

Health Minister Ali Hiasat is scheduled to meet with the association next week to study the demands and present a list of recommendations to Ensour, who promised to look into them, Hatamleh said.

“I am optimistic and I think we are on the right track, especially since the premier was serious about looking into the demands,” he said.

Hatamleh started the sit-in near the Prime Ministry to call for increasing public sector nurses’ technical and overtime allowances.

The association is calling for increasing the technical allowance of staff nurses from 100 per cent of the basic salary to 120 per cent.

It also wants the technical allowance for practical and associate nurses raised from 40 per cent of the basic salary to 70 per cent.

In addition, the association is asking for increasing the overtime allowance from 30 per cent of the basic salary to 35 per cent of the overall paid salary for all nurses in the public sector.

Hatamleh had decided to hold his “solo protest” to avoid a work stoppage by public sector nurses that could disrupt services to patients.