The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission says it is not aware of the intended threat to strike by Pharmacists in the country.
Pharmacists in Public Health Facilities have given a week’s ultimatum to government to resolve all outstanding issues relating to their market premiums, or they will embark on strike.
They say the market premiums of other government workers on the single spine, including that of doctors, have been paid while theirs have been left in arrears despite petitioning the NLC in January.
National Chairman of the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association, Steven Corquaye told Joy News they are running out of patience.
But in a response the Chief Executive Officer of the FWSC George Smith Graham told Joy News, he has not sighted any formal complaints by the Pharmacists.
Listening to some of the grievances Mr Corquaye enumerated on radio, Mr Graham said if Pharmacists think they deserve a market premium, they must follow the guidelines spelt out by the Commission.
According to him, all members of the medical fraternity, of which pharmacists are part, are enjoying an interim arrangement which partially takes care of their market premiums.
He was therefore surprised the Pharmacists are complaining of market premiums.
He appealed to the pharmacists to wait patiently for the new guidelines which clearly spell out what procedures to follow as far as market premiums are concerned.
Graham also dismissed assertions the Finance Ministry has not been part of salary negotiations with Health Workers.
He said at no point in time has the Commission engaged the public workers on salary negotiations without the contribution and presence of officials from the Finance Ministry.