The Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), George Smith-Graham, has blamed internal disputes within the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) for the delay in implementing their revised conditions of service.
Speaking on Citi Eyewitness News on Wednesday, June 11, Smith-Graham dismissed claims that the government had deliberately stalled the process, explaining that a legal injunction resulting from the union’s internal wrangling halted implementation efforts.
“…Clearly, they know themselves that the delay in the implementation of the conditions of service had nothing to do with the government. It had to do with their internal wrangling that brought about the injunction on the implementation of their conditions of service,” he stated.
Following the legal setback, he said the FWSC intervened to salvage the process. With the current agreement set to expire next year, the Commission proposed a compromise: a deferred implementation date that would still guarantee the full benefits of the revised agreement.
“When that happened, we quickly came in because the conditions of service are going to expire just next year. So, we as a Commission came in to request some agreement on the implementation date and the expiry of the conditions of service,” Smith-Graham noted.
He further clarified that the government’s proposal to shift implementation to 2026 was to allow for fiscal space to enable full rollout.
“That is why we put before them a proposal to attempt to shift the implementation date of the conditions of service. For the rest of the conditions of service, we have agreed. All we were looking for was a shift in the implementation date so that they can enjoy the full benefit of the conditions of service, and also the government will have some fiscal space to be able to implement the conditions of service fully for them.”
Despite these efforts, the nationwide strike declared by the GRNMA remains unresolved. The association has rejected the proposed 2026 implementation timeline and continues to demand immediate action.
This follows an emergency closed-door meeting held on Monday, June 9, involving the Ministry of Health, GRNMA leadership, and other key stakeholders. The meeting ended without a resolution.