Thursday 12th December, 2019
By
Edmund Quaynor/Janet Owusuwaa Ansah, GNA
Koforidua(E/R), Dec.
12, GNA – The Eastern Regional Branch of the Health Services Workers Union
(HSWU) of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) has passed a resolution in support of
a nationwide strike action as their outstanding grievances are yet to be resolved
by the Ghana Health Service.
At an emergency
meeting held in Koforidua, the members of the union dressed with red bands on
their hands and head, massively declared their support in favour of a strike
action.
In a resolution
adopted at the meeting and read by Mr Mohammed Abeo, the Regional Industrial
Relations Officer of the Union, the union said their employers have failed to
abide by the collective agreement of the union signed in 2016.
He said their
employers have refused to pay the market premium introduced for them during the
implementation of the single spine pay policy.
Mr Abeo said during
the transition of some of their members onto the single spine salary structure,
some of the members suffered distortions in their salaries which has not been
corrected despite the many efforts made by the union.
He said in 2017,
some junior staff were promoted but were paid without market premium making
them worse off and upon intervention by the union, the Ministry of Finance
issued a letter for the market premium of the affected members to be paid with
effect from March 2019 but this has not been done.
The union claimed
that many of its members suffered wrong placement and are suffering loss of
salaries.
The union observed
that due to the challenges mentioned above and discrimination in the service,
the unity that had characterized the work at health institutions has broken
down.
The union demanded
the correction of all the distortions in the placement of members of the union
and the payment of salary arrears due the members of the union.
GNA
