By Francis Kobena Tandoh
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) is urging its members to adhere to the roadmap on their intended strike, according to a statement issued here over the weekend.
The directive is coming on the back of a meeting between the Minister for Health Kwabena Mintah Akandoh and the leadership of the GRNMA in which the former called on the nurses and midwives to rescind their decision.
Providing an update on their intended industrial action, the GRNMA leadership they are more concerned about the approval and implementation of their Collective Agreement.
“The minister has called on leadership to rescind its decision on embarking on an industrial action and allow a three-member team he intends to form to work on guiding the implementation of the Collective Agreement. Leadership agreed to the committee formation but also insisted that the Ministry of Health gets the Ministry of Finance to approve the agreed Collective Agreement first,” said the statement.
“Under the circumstance, leadership is calling on all nurses and midwives to remain resolute and adhere to the roadmap as issued,” added the statement.
The GRNMA) announced a series of industrial actions beginning June 2, 2025, in protest against the government’s failure to implement their Collective Agreement signed in 2024.
In a statement issued on May 28, the Association said the continued delay in enforcing the agreement is a disservice to its members and jeopardizes the quality of healthcare delivery across the country.
According to the GRNMA, the planned actions will begin with members wearing red arm and head bands on June 2 and 3. This will be followed by the withdrawal of Out Patient Department (OPD) services from June 4 to 8, and a complete withdrawal of all services starting June 9, 2025.
“The said Collective Agreement was signed in May 2024 between the GRNMA representing the entire nursing and midwifery fraternity in Ghana on one part and the employer, represented by the Ministry of Health and its agencies, the Ministry of Finance and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission on the other,” the statement noted.
The Association acknowledged that legal proceedings by a section of its membership delayed implementation, but pointed out that a court ruling in January 2025 cleared the path for enforcement.
Despite several follow-ups through letters and in-person engagements with relevant ministries, there has been no progress.
“One year on, our Collective Agreement is still not implemented and although we recognize the fact that a section of our fraternity had taken the matter to court and delayed the implementation, judgement was given by the court in January 2025 and we have followed up with letters and in-person visits to the Ministry of Finance and the Ministry of Health since then to no avail.
“At this point in time, Ghanaian nurses and midwives are tired of excuses that the leadership has been making on behalf of the employer, and leadership is equally tired of the excuses from the employer,” the GRNMA said.
The Association urged all nurses and midwives in the country to fully comply with the outlined schedule of industrial actions to demand what they describe as their due.
“We are therefore setting out the following road map of industrial actions and call on every nurse and midwife in Ghana to follow it to the latter,” the statement said. Enditem
Source: Ghana Eye Report
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