Health Services Workers’ Union to embark on strike action
The National Executive Council (NEC) of the Health Services Workers’ Union of the TUC Ghana has declared intention to embark on nation- wide industrial action effective December 27 across the country.
Thus, from December 27 about 28,000 members of the HSWU including; over 30 Professional Health Associations will lay down their tools to press home their demands.
They include; those working at the Emergency, Laboratory, Pharmacy, Physiotherapy, Radiology, Mortuary, Ghana Ambulance Services, among others.
According to the NEC, the industrial action became necessary as the employers were adamant to members’ unresolved concerns and the unacceptable responses thereof from the employer and other stakeholders.
That, the NEC noted gave them the impression that their issues would not be addressed.
Mr Reynolds O. Tenkorang, General Secretary of HSWU, addressing the media in Accra, said NEC adopted the resolution at its emergency meeting on December 18 to take decision on the unresolved issues of the Union after the conference.
He mentioned some of the unresolved concerns of members as partial implementation of the signed Collective Agreement; non-payment of early increment; freezing of negotiated Market Premium since 2012; non-implementation of Laboratory Policy; non-existence of Medical Physicist grade on the salary structure; salary distortions, and the difference in payment of the revised Single Spine Salary grades for some junior staff of the health sector.
He said NEC’s assertion was hinged on the fact that the outcome of the meeting held between the Ministries of Finance, Health, Employment and Labour Relations, Ghana Health Service, Fair Wages and Salary Commission, and the leadership of HSWU was unsatisfactory and was out-rightly rejected.
He said for example, the employers asked them to draw their allowances on the Internally Generated Funds (IGFs) of the health institutions they worked in, knowing well that some of the health institutions did not have IGFs.
“As a result, some of our members are not getting their allowances, while their counterparts in other health institutions get theirs,” he said, adding “We do not want any discrimination against our members”.
Mr Tenkorang said they wrote to the National Labour Commission severally about their concerns and instead of the Commission to investigate the issues it rather asked the leadership of the HSWU to do a research, which they did and submitted their report to the Commission, but till date nothing was done about their grievances and the research findings.
“In view of these, NEC in session hereby serves notice to the Ministry of Health and its Agencies of our intention to embark on an industrial action effective December 27, 2019. We are resolved,” he said.
Source: GNA