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Ghana's health workers declare indefinite strike

Xinhua, October 6, 2015 Adjust font size:

More than 7,000 health workers in Ghana Monday declared an indefinite strike to back their demands for the payment of salary and outstanding arrears running into three years.

The nurses, who belong to the Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives, work in regional and all major government hospitals across the country.

The Spokesperson for the group, Douglas Adu Fokuo, said at a press conference on Saturday the over 7,000 nurses would stay off work until the monies were paid, adding that they were not convinced by promises made by the Minister of Employment and Labor Relations, Harruna Iddrisu.

"After several deliberations and our persistent patience to receive these monies, our government and authorities failed us. The promises they gave us and the reassurances were not implemented hence the leadership and entire membership of the coalition have come to the crossroads where going back to the workplace is impossibility until all our standing arrears are paid.

"We hereby declare an indefinite strike from Monday 5th October 2015. We will swiftly return to work when all of us receive messages that there is payment," Fokuo stated.

In a related development, nurses at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital have also rejected government's call on them to return to work after they embarked on an indefinite strike over unpaid salaries.

Speaking to local radio - Citi News - the spokesperson for the nurses, Emmanuel Feberi, said they would not be in the best of mind to work if they returned without their monies.

"I think it is better for nurses to stay home, just have their peace of mind; then when everything is paid...they can go back and ...take care of the patients."

In another development, the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has reminded government to address unpaid salaries and other issues before an ultimatum that expires Monday to avert possible strike.

The association at a press conference in Accra said it was not making any new demands on the government but only to "carry out its obligation to the Ghana Education Service (GES) staff as other governments did since independence".

"NAGRAT is asking government to honor the payment of annual incremental credits to all teachers, outstanding salary arrears since November 2014, transfer grants and transport allowances, and to negotiate a new Collective Bargaining Agreement since the one now being used expired in December 2011," it stated.

NAGRAT said that the failure of the government to respond to the issues was affecting teacher output, with low performance of pupils and students at basic, junior and senior high school examinations.

There has been no government reaction to the nurses and teachers demands yet. Endit