The Jamaica Association of Public Health Inspectors (JAPHI) is to hold an emergency meeting to decide the way forward, after a day of industrial action yielded no response from the finance ministry.

More than ninety-five percent of public health inspectors across the island called-in sick this morning, after being on edge, over what they say, is the slow pace of the wage negotiations for the 2017/2021 contract period.

President of the association Karen Brown, in noting that the association is yet to hear from the Ministry of Finance on the wage claim, after writing a number of letters, even to the level of the minister, over the last two weeks, says the workers will be meeting to decide if strike action will continue tomorrow.

Meantime, general inspection services were halted across the island, affecting several industries.

Ms. Brown says health departments island-wide, the poultry industry and even some ports of entry were among those impacted.