Lawyers for the Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anaesthetists, the Ghana Physician Assistants Association and the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association have criticised the Health Ministry for allegedly coercing their clients not to withdraw their services in protest of better working conditions.
The lawyers say a letter addressed to the Ministry of Health and
copied to Coordinators of the Christian Health Association of Ghana (CHAG) has
asked members of their clients under CHAG to uphold the CHAG non-strike
directive and ensure that their staff remain at post despite the strike
declared by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association.
Writing on behalf of the health personnel, the legal
team described the letter as distasteful and one that is “fortified in their
belief that CHAG is deeply in bed with stakeholders in the health delivery
service, who have purposed to subject our clients to ridicule by courting
disaffection for our clients, nationwide.”
They are therefore asking CHAG to stop gagging employees under the
mother associations during negotiations for better conditions of services.
According to the lawyers, their “clients are by this letter
also reiterating their commitment to embarking on industrial action with effect
from Monday 21st September 2020 and urge members of the affected associations
to remain steadfast in these trying moments.”
All public sector nurses, midwives, Physician Assistants (PAs) and
Anaesthetists (CRAs) will from today, Monday, September 21, 2020, withdraw
their services to demand improved conditions of service.
Although the National Labour Commission (NLC) has secured an
interim injunction to restrain the Association from laying down their tools,
the nurses say their strike is in full force.
Meanwhile, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has asked
the health staff to back down on their intended strike and return to the
negotiation table to have their grievances resolved.
According to the Commission, the government has shown enough
commitment to have the concerns of the health staff resolved hence the labour
action is in serious breach of the rules of engagement between the two sides.
In a letter by the FWSC detailing the extent of deliberations
between the government and the nurses, the Commission said the strike by the
GRNMA is illegal because both parties have in principle agreed to six out of
the eight outstanding proposals as presented by the Association with a the four-week time frame for further action following their last meeting on
September 16, 2020.
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