Negotiations with the PNG Nurse Association are still ongoing says Department of Personnel Management Secretary John Kali.
He was responding to questions from Loop PNG about the ultimatum given by PNG Nurse Association today to stop work next week Thursday.
PNGNA acting National President Steven Nawik in a media conference this morning said to stop its financial members on turning up for work if the National Government does not respond to their outstanding log claims dating back to MOU signed for 2011-13.
“There is no industrial dispute in existence right now because there is still room for negotiations which we have yet to conclude,” Kali told Loop PNG.
“17 August 2016 we gave a 14 days’ notice to the government that if they do not respond we will take industrial action,” Nawik said.
“We have written to the Industrial Registrar and till now have no respond, we have 100 percent support from our 21 branches and to go on strike.”
The Association has 80 percent of members in the public health sector and the strike will affect ordinary Papua New Guineans who rely on government health services.