Doctors suspend "work to rule" action

Accra, May 26, GNA - The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has suspended its work to rule action after sealing a deal for better conditions of Service with the Health Minister and his team on Tuesday. Deputy General Secretary of the GMA, Dr Frank Serebour, told the GNA on Tuesday that that they suspended their action because they were able to tie the knot on conditions of service and would go back to work. The GMA leadership and the government met over the weekend and were to fine tune negotiations to end the doctors' work to rule action which entered its ninth day on Tuesday.

Meanwhile, a statement signed by Dr Emmanuel Adom Winful, President of GMA, said the National Executive Council had decided to suspend their action and was therefore entreating all doctors working in the public sector to return to normal duties.

It said further details of the outcome of these negotiations would be made available to divisional chairmen for onward transmission to members.

However, it said "a series of negotiating meetings with government representatives yielded some gains and indeed tentative time lines have been set to negotiate 2009 salaries, conditions of service and discuss other issues pertaining to the welfare of doctors". The Council said it was thanking members "for their support during these trying moments".

The GMA was demanding 50 per cent increase in salary while the Government was proposing six per cent saying the economy could not support the 50 per cent increase.

The GMA said since 2006 salaries of doctors had not been reviewed despite several attempts to get these issues resolved. The National Labour Commission (NLC) reminded the GMA that its action to "work-to-rule" amounted to a strike that has been embarked upon without recourse to the dispute resolution procedures provided for in the Labour Act.

It further reminded the GMA that its members provided health and hospital services, which according to regulation 20(c) of LI 1833, were essential services and were therefore prohibited from resorting to a strike as any such strike could result in the loss of life and pose danger to public health and safety. 26 May 09