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Following an emergency meeting with the Ministry of Health, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has yet to achieve agreement to end their nationwide strike.
To break the deadlock and negotiate better terms of service, the Ministry met behind closed doors on Monday, June 9 with GRNMA leaders and other important health sector stakeholders.
Following the meeting, GRNMA’s vice president, Samuel Akoto Alagkora, told reporters that the Ministry blamed the government’s tardiness in responding to the association’s demands on financial constraints.
He said that GRNMA had rejected the government’s proposal to postpone the agreed-upon conditions of service until 2026, citing it as unjust.
According to Alagkora, the National Council of the association will evaluate the government’s proposal and determine the next step.
“We were told that there was no budget provision for it, and these conditions of service were presented to the government in January, and we expected that they would be factored into this year’s budget. Unfortunately, we are being told that the challenges of the implementation are such that they have budget constraints.
“And what they wanted us to agree on was to push the implementation to 2026. What it means is that they wanted to set the conditions of the service calendar so that it will be like we have just renegotiated, and then we are moving on, so that the idea of arrears will not come in. This is not fair,” he said.
Tony Goodman, the Ministry of Health’s spokesperson, emphasized that the Ministry is still receptive to suggestions and comments from the GRNMA’s leadership and is prepared to make any required changes.
“We welcome any proposalss they might have when they return. Any discussion is welcome. It is not our intention to suggest that they should adopt our stance. They might also hold a position of their own. We’ll examine it and make any necessary adjustments. Negotiation is about that,” he stated.
Source: Ghanatodayonline.com
