Gov’t pulls out of negotiation with doctors

Government has pulled out of conditions of service negotiations with striking members of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA).

According to Employment and Labour Relations minister Haruna Iddrisu, negotiations cannot continue while the doctors are on an illegal strike.

“Government will continue negotiations with the GMA only if they call off their strike action and come back to the negotiation table for us to dialogue further on putting closure to the whole subject of getting them a codified condition of service.

“But so long as they remain on strike, boycotting work whether partial or full and not resigning puts us in a difficulty in continuing negotiations”, he added.

The minister in an interview with Accra-based Joy FM said issues relating to the Category 2 and 3 allowances are already being negotiated at the Public Services Joint Negotiating Committee.

The Labour Relations minister has stated their stance is illegal hence government’s decision to pull out.

“In so long as they remain on strike; boycotting work, whether partial or not it puts us in a difficulty in negotiating. But specific to their conditions of service government will want to engage them if they call off their strike,” Iddrisu stated.

Meanwhile, former President John Agyekum Kufuor has joined calls on striking doctors to call off their strike and return to the negotiating table.

President Kufuor said the doctors stand a better chance of having their grievances addressed when they call off their strike.

The former President speaking at the University of Education, Winneba in the Central Region, after he was awarded an honorary Doctorate Degree by the university.

“For the ultimate humanitarian considerations of the suffering masses of the people of Ghana, and with their [doctors’] case already so strongly made, I appeal to them to restrain themselves from taking the final step of irreparable damage to the nation…the strike should be cut off. The nation I believe will not forget this informed compromise”, he appealed to the members of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA).