The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has defended its ongoing strike, insisting it remains the only effective tool to compel government action on their long-delayed conditions of service.
This follows renewed calls by Health Minister, Kwabena Mintah Akandoh for the striking nurses to suspend the industrial action and return to the negotiation table.
In an interview on Channel One Newsroom on Saturday, June 7, the association’s Public Relations Officer, Joseph Krampah, reiterated that the association will not be drawn into fresh discussions when the 2024 Collective Agreement has already been signed and awaits implementation.
“Looking at what we have, the only tool we have that we can take to let the employer listen is that we have taken and we passed through due process. So we feel that Ghanaians are affected in a way, but that is the weapon we have. If you don’t want to sign it, something that is binding on the employer, you don’t want to sign it, and you call me to come and sit down again, that is something we can’t pick,” he stated.
The GRNMA initiated the strike to demand the implementation of its 2024 Collective Agreement, which includes unpaid allowances and delayed postings. The industrial action has significantly impacted healthcare services nationwide.
The agreement includes the provision of a 13th-month salary, fuel and medical allowance, rural incentive allowance, renewal of practising license and uniforms for the striking health workers.
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