Maurice Ampaw is a legal practitioner
Legal practitioner, Maurice Ampaw, has called on the government to urgently address the concerns of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), asserting that both patients and healthcare workers are suffering as a result of the ongoing industrial action.
Speaking in an exclusive interview with GhanaWeb on June 11, 2025, Ampaw acknowledged that industrial action by essential service providers, including nurses, beyond three days, is in breach of the Labour Act, but was quick to add that the nurses are forced to take the stance due to harsh working conditions.
Responding to calls for an activation of legal measures against the GRNMA over the prolonged strike, he recommended dialogue as a more tenable solution to the matter.
“People are dying, yes, but the nurses are also dying economically. They are not happy. Their families are also suffering from hardships,” he said.
He criticised the government’s handling of the strike, particularly their decision to recall retired nurses to fill the gap left by the striking nurses.
“That is not the best. Even if the government cannot meet all their demands at once, it should at least meet them halfway and then work toward fulfilling the other demands later,” he asserted.
The nurses’ strike, which began over unresolved conditions of service, has entered its second week, placing increasing strain on Ghana’s already fragile healthcare system.
Several reports indicate that the absence of frontline staff has led to disruptions in medical services and delayed treatment in some facilities.
Maurice Ampaw has consequently urged the government and health authorities to return to the negotiation table with urgency, stressing that lives are at stake.
The GRNMA initiated a strike action on June 2, 2025, citing the government’s failure to implement their 2024 Collective Agreement.
The provisions to be fulfilled in the 2024 Collective Agreement include better salaries, improved working conditions, enhanced allowances among other things.
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