Ranking Member on Parliament’s Health Committee, Dr. Nana Ayew Afriyie, has pointed fingers at the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Ministry of Finance for the ongoing strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA).
Speaking on JoyFM’s News Night on Monday, June 9, Dr. Afriyie said the NLC failed in its duty to intervene promptly when the GRNMA gave notice of the industrial action, despite nurses being classified under essential services by law.
“You have to blame the Labour Commission because the Act says that these are essential services; they don’t have to go on strike. Before they go on strike, they notified you, and you should attend to their needs within 72 hours,” he said.
Dr. Afriyie explained that although the Ministry of Health had already approved the conditions of service under the previous administration, the Ministry of Finance has failed to follow through.
[embedded content]“The Ministry of Health is the implementing agency – they are done with them, and they are with the Ministry of Finance. On this occasion, the nurses are saying we reached [an agreement] with the NPP government, and the Ministry of Health approved of this. They took it to the Ministry of Finance, they approved of it, they were going to get Controller to implement it and they took themselves to court.”
He criticised the Finance Ministry for ignoring the nurses for half a year, despite their patience and willingness to engage.
“Why is it that the Minister of Finance has not met them for six months to pick up from where the NPP left off? These nurses have been reasonable for months. Show them some respect,” he said.
Dr. Afriyie also took issue with the decision by the NLC to resort to the courts rather than resolving the matter through dialogue.
“The issue of taking it to court is not right; that’s not the way to solve this issue. I will ask the nurses to be lenient for the sake of lives,” he added.
Meanwhile, the nurses’ strike has entered a crucial stage and continues to place strain on health facilities nationwide as efforts by the Health Ministry to end the ongoing strike remain unresolved following a failed emergency meeting on Monday, June 9.
The deadlock stems from the government’s request to postpone the implementation of the nurses’ conditions of service until 2026, an offer the GRNMA has outrightly rejected.
Speaking to journalists after the closed-door meeting, GRNMA Vice President Samuel Alagkora Akologo expressed disappointment, revealing that government officials cited budgetary constraints as the reason for the delay.
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