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Nurses and midwives strike despite injunction

The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association begins industrial action as a disapproving National Labour Commission regroups to determine next steps

Hundreds of patients were left stranded on Monday at public health facilities across the country following a decision by a union of nurses and midwives to embark on a sit-down strike over conditions of service.

The National Labour Commission secured an injunction over the weekend against the strike by members of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).

However, the general secretary of the GRNMA, David Tenkorang-Twum, told GhOne TV the association had not been served officially with a letter by the National Labour Commission.

Sentenced to poverty

“We think that they don’t value the work of the ordinary nurse, midwife, certified anaesthetist and physician assistant,” he said.

“Indeed, we shouldn’t have come to this level – it’s unnecessary; this could have been avoided – but we were pushed to the wall.

“We cannot continue to be impoverished. Nurses and midwives go on retirement and for working for 30 to 49 years they go home with GHC30,000.

“We did not sign any bond of poverty.”

Tenkorang-Twum also refuted claims that the association had been served with an injunction by the National Labour Commission.

He said only a signed and sealed statement of conditions of service would compel members of the GRNMA to resume work.

Avoidance tactics

However, the executive secretary of the National Labour Commission, Ofosu Asamoah, said the GRNMA had refused to be served with the injunction.

He added that, despite this attempt to avoid the legal restraint, the commission went ahead to serve the association by electronic mail.

He said the commission would meet yesterday (21 September) to decide its next line of action following the refusal by GRNMA members to rescind their decision to embark on a strike.

The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association has about 90,000 members across the country, comprising nurses, midwives, physician assistants and registered anaesthetists working in public health facilities nationwide.

Fred Dzakpata

* Asaase Radio 99.5 – tune in or log on to broadcasts online.
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