A/R: Health Service Workers Union threaten strike

The Ashanti Regional Branch of the Health Service Workers Union (HSWU) have threatened a series of industrial actions if their salary concerns are not addressed.

Clad in red attire, the health workers said at a press conference in Kumasi that enough has not been done to better their conditions of service which has been lingering for several years.

Grievances

Some of the issues they stated were payment of market premium, salary distortions under the single spine salary structure and non-payment of national laboratory levy.

Industrial Relations Officer of the Union, Mr. Stephen Kwame Mensah said their employers have failed to abide by the collective agreement of the Union signed in 2016.

He said their employers have refused to pay the market premium introduced for them during the implementation of the single spine pay policy.

“…It is worth nothing that some category of health professionals have their conditions of service consolidated in their salaries and paid from Controller and Accountant General…” he said.

He further stated: “In our case, market premiums have been static since 2012 and is not corresponding with our current salary. The freeze of our market premium by our employer is very arbitrary and discriminatory as compared to other public servants who earn market premiums”.

Loss of salaries

The union also claimed that many of its members suffered wrong placement and are suffering the loss of salaries.

The union observed that due to the challenges mentioned above and discrimination in the service, the unity that had characterized the work at health institutions has broken down.

The union demanded the correction of all the distortions in the placement of the Union and the payment of salay arrears due the members of the Union in two weeks.

Source: Joanna Somiah, Daily Mail GH