The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has credited the timely intervention of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health as a decisive factor in its decision to suspend the nationwide strike that disrupted public health services this week.
Speaking after the announcement of the strike’s suspension in an interview on Citi Eyewitness News on Friday June 13, GRNMA Vice President Samuel Alagkora Akologo described the Committee’s involvement as both timely and necessary, particularly at a point when assurances from the Health Ministry were no longer enough to persuade the union’s members to return to work.
“The intervention by the Parliamentary Select Committee was very prompt and at the appropriate time,” Akologo stated. “We were at the stage where the continuous assurance of the minister was not giving us enough information to be able to communicate to our members to relax them so that we can ask them to suspend or call off the strike.”
He added that the engagement in Parliament was fruitful and provided a level of clarity and reassurance that previous negotiations had lacked. According to Akologo, this helped GRNMA leadership take steps to advise their members to stand down—at least temporarily.
“What was discussed yesterday in Parliament was very fruitful. We are waiting for the 26th June meeting to come. It is from that meeting that we will know whether the conversation with the Parliamentary Select Committee actually yielded the fruits we felt yesterday,” he said.
The strike, which began on June 9, 2025, was in protest of the government’s proposed delay in implementing revised conditions of service until 2026 — a move the GRNMA strongly opposed. The action led to significant disruptions across the country’s public health sector, with emergency and maternity services among the worst affected.
Although the strike has been suspended, the Association maintains a cautious stance. GRNMA President Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo has called on the government to demonstrate genuine commitment during the upcoming negotiations. She warned that failure to follow through on assurances could lead to a resumption of industrial action.
The June 26 meeting between the GRNMA and government negotiators is now viewed as a crucial test of good faith, with both the public and the health sector watching closely.
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Nurses and Midwives suspend nationwide strike