The National Labour Commission (NLC) has ordered the Health Services Workers’ Union leadership to call off its ongoing strike with immediate effect.
On Tuesday, the Health Services Workers Union announced its strike action over what it described as poor conditions of service by the government.
The government subsequently held a meeting with the union to settle the matter, but the meeting proved futile, with the union refusing to call off the strike.
Speaking in an interview with Accra-based, the Executive Secretary of the Labour Commission, Ofosu Asamoah, called on the union to suspend its strike for its demands to be negotiated.
“We have directed them to call off the strike and appear before the commission to settle the matter,” he said.
Mr Asamoah added, “They didn’t inform us of their action, but we heard on the radio, and we quickly contacted the ministry about it.
They said they also heard about it, so negotiations are ongoing and we’ve asked them to call off the strike and appear before us.”
The group is striking over what it describes as poor conditions of services by the government.
It said the government has unfairly reviewed the conditions of service for its sister unions twice but has failed to review the conditions of service of its members as agreed upon in 2016.
This, they say, has compelled them to lay down their tools and demand better conditions of service.
Addressing journalists in Accra, the General Secretary of the Health Services Workers’ Union, Franklin Owusu Ansah, implored all members to take part in the strike until they received a favourable response from the government.
“It is not the wish of the union to cause industrial disharmony and disrupt the smooth delivery of health services, but the continuous disregard by the government to respond to our simple request has pushed us to the wall and this far.”
