A group known as the National Association of Registered Midwives-Ghana (NARM-GH), which is made up of practising midwives in public health facilities in the country, has dissociated itself from an intended strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) on Monday, 21 September 2020.
In their strike notice, GRNMA announced that it will withdraw its services in all public health facilities across the country following what the association refers to as a proposal which cannot serve the “economic interest of all nurses, midwives, PAs and CRAs.”
This was disclosed in a statement issued on Thursday, 17 September 2020 and co-signed by the President of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo; President of the Ghana Physicians Association, Emmanuel Yaw Appiah; President of the Ghana Association of Registered Anaesthetics, Frederick Kwame Kporxah.
According to the association, “a letter dated 9 September 2020, was also served on all stakeholders informing them about the status of the negotiation and the possible actions of the GRNMA and its Allied Associations (Ghana Physician Assistants Association and Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anesthetists).
“Having reconvened in the meetings held on 15th and 16th September 2020, the posture of the Employer changed for the better but did not meet the expectation of the majority of nurses, midwives, physician assistants and certified registered anaesthetists in Ghana.”
It stressed, however, that “the proposal of the employer, as reported, cannot serve the economic interest of all nurses, midwives, PAs and CRAs.”
“The employer is hereby notified that nurses, midwives, physician assistants and registered anaesthetists will withdraw their services from 8 am on Monday, 21 September 2020.”
It further directed all “nurses, midwives, physician assistants (PAs) and certified registered anaesthetists (CRAs) in all public institutions” to withdraw their services from 8 am on Monday,21 September 2020.”
However, NARM-GH, in a disclaimer, said it has no intentions of going on a strike, saying it is not departing from its 2007 pledge “not to resort to strike action as a way of pressing home demands for improved conditions of service, as the absence of midwives in health facilities endangers the lives of innocent pregnant women and their unborn babies.”
Meanwhile, the National Labour Commission (NLC) has secured an interim injunction against the planned strike.
Labour Division Court 1 of the High Court granted the injunction on Friday, 18 September 2020.
It is valid for ten days.
The court said: “It is hereby ordered the respondent herein by itself, its executives, officers, members, agents, servants, employees and other persons are hereby restrained from embarking on its intended strike action on Monday, the 21st of September 2020”.