Nurses and midwives to resume work tomorrow—GRNMA president assures
Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) will from tomorrow resume work as part of its decision to call off the nationwide strike.
The strike action began on Monday, September 21 by the GRNMA and its allied associations including the Ghana Physician Assistants Association and Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anesthetists for government to improve their conditions of service.
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This was despite an interim injunction secured by the National Labour Commission (NLC) to restrain them from laying down their tools.
Addressing the media in Accra today, President of the Association, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo said the decision followed the service of an interlocutory injunction on the GRNMA by the National Labour Commission (NLC) on Tuesday.
“In the face of the injunction, our respect for the court, coupled with our innate passion to serve our patients and clients and for that matter the good people of Ghana, we have decided to temporarily suspend our strike action with effect from Thursday, 24th September 2020 at 8:00 am pending the outcome of our negotiations,” she said.
For the avoidance of doubt, Ms Ofori-Ampofo indicated that the strike was merely suspended, stressing that “our gallant nurses, midwives, PA’s and CRA’s are to begin full work on Thursday 24th September 2020 at 8 am with the morning shift.”
She noted that government has done a lot for the country’s health sector but needed some allowance to improve their conditions and standard of living.
Ms Ofori-Ampofo stated the association wanted government to increase their professional development allowance, transport and research allowance and also give some incentives to nurses and midwives in the rural sectors as well as giving them uncalled duty allowance among others.
She argued that their demands were not something big that the government could not do as the government has done bigger things than that.
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Ms Ofori-Ampofo maintained that they would temporary calling off the strike to monitor the government if it would deliver on their agreement.
She called on the Ministry of Health and other agents to halt the intimidation of its members with immediate effect.
“We (GRNMA) will not tolerate any form of intimidation or victimisation from either our employers, their agents or representatives in any health facility.
We want them to note that an attack on any nurse, midwife, PA or CRA at any facility anywhere in the country is an attack on the entire fraternity in Ghana and that if it comes to our notice we shall deliver the appropriate response,” Ms Ofori-Ampofo added.
BY JOYCELINE NATALLY CUDJOE
