The Association of Government Medical Consultants, AGMC, is supporting junior doctors in their frustration over the six-month delay by the Industrial Disputes Tribunal, IDT, in ruling on their overtime pay dispute with the government.

The dispute concerns the emergency duty allowance paid to doctors for extra hours worked.

The IDT heard submissions in the case on April 1 this year but has not indicated when a ruling will be handed down.

The Jamaica Medical Doctors’ Association, JMDA, has warned that it cannot guarantee normality in the public health system if the matter is not resolved by Friday, October 2.

In a statement on Wednesday, the AGMC says it understands the frustration of its colleagues, who it says have exercised tremendous patience after months of negotiations before the matter reached the tribunal.

The association repeated the legal maxim that, “Justice delayed is justice denied.”

It adds that the association is in support of any lawful actions that members of the JMDA find necessary to take in pursuance of the justice they seek.

The IDT issued a statement on Wednesday, saying it acknowledges that excessive delays can erode public confidence in its work.

But in the face of clear demand for a ruling by the JMDA, the IDT offered an explanation for the continued delay.

It says while the law calls for awards to be issued within 21 days of a dispute being referred, or as soon as practicable thereafter, complex cases requiring extensive review can take longer.

The tribunal is urging the parties and the public to remain patient, as it works to deliver what it describes as a fair and reasoned ruling.

In the wake of the IDT’s statement, the president of the JMDA, Dr. Jubilee Brown Service, says their militant stance has not changed.

Dr. Jubilee Brown Service, JMDA president.