Health workers across the country have served a warning notice to the government of a possible strike if the government does not pay their Cost of Living Allowance, (COLA). The notice was given through a joint statement from the four unions, the Ghana Medical Association, Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives, Health Services Workers’ Union, and Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association.
The unions and professional groups have said that if by August 1, 2022, their concerns haven’t been addressed by the government, they will boycott both inpatient and outpatient services.
The statement said that the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Health Services Workers’ Union (HSWU), and Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA), all constituent members of Organized Labour had requested that the government pay their members a 20% Cost of Living Allowance due to the current economic challenges in the country.
They are however disappointed that they have not had any favorable response from the government yet, just like other members of Organized labour. There was also mention that a meeting between the government and organized labour on July 12, 2022, failed to solve the problem, despite their expectations that it would. The unions, therefore, have issued a warning that if the COLA negotiations are not concluded by Friday, July 22, 2022, they will take the following actions:
1. From July 25 to July 27, 2022, all medical facilities must have red wristbands on.
2. Withdrawal of Out-Patient Department (OPD) Services from July 28 to July 31, 2022.
3. In August 2022, OPD and inpatient services will no longer be provided.
The government appears to be testing the patience of the public sector workers and members of the Organized labour. Following the government’s refusal to comply with their demands to approve the 20% COLA, several other unions, including the Coalition of Concerned Teachers, the National Association of Graduate Teachers, the Ghana National Association of Teachers, and the Teachers’ and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), went on strike.
The Senior Staff Association of the Universities of Ghana (SSA UOG) also launched an indefinite strike on Wednesday, July 13, 2022, after The CEO of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), threatened to stop paying their salaries if they went on strike over the unfair treatment of the senior staff in public universities in Ghana.