The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has refused to budge in its ongoing strike, insisting that the industrial action is the only effective tool to compel the government to implement their long-delayed conditions of service.
This stance comes in the wake of renewed calls by Health Minister Kwabena Mintah Akandoh for the striking nurses to suspend the strike and return to the negotiation table.
Speaking on Channel One Newsroom, GRNMA’s Public Relations Officer, Joseph Krampah, explained the association’s position. “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 said.
The strike, which has significantly impacted healthcare services nationwide, was initiated to demand the implementation of the 2024 Collective Agreement. The agreement includes provisions for a 13th-month salary, fuel and medical allowance, rural incentive allowance, renewal of practising license, and uniforms for health workers.
Krampah emphasized that the association will not engage in fresh discussions when the existing agreement, which has already been signed, awaits implementation.
The GRNMA remains resolute in its stance, awaiting the government’s commitment to honoring the agreement.