Majority of executive council members voted against joining Organised Labour strike - GMA president

The President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Dr. Frank Serebour, has stated that he did not take a unilateral decision on the association not joining the strike declared by Organised Labour effective October 10, 2024.

According to him, the decision to abstain from the strike was taken collectively by Executive Council members of the Association.

Speaking at a meeting in Accra, Dr. Serebour said after being informed of the intention to embark on a strike, he ensured the view of each member of the council was sought in arriving at a decision by association.

"I decided to call each and every individual council member and ask whether we should join this industrial action or not. We have 21 Council members; some represent junior doctors, some represent the Medical Association, and some represent the Society of Private Medical and Dental Practitioners. When I finished tallying the results of the opinion of the various council members, 5 people indicated we should join the strike, 1 abstained, and 15 said no, but that was on Thursday. So I said, Look, if we should issue this out right now, we may deflate the momentum that Organized Labour has gathered. So let's hope and see if Tuesday or Wednesday it would have been resolved.

He added: "Before I could say Jack, over the weekend, there was a leak from the council platform indicating to the whole world that we have virtually taken a decision that we were not joining the strike. Since then, there have been a lot of commentaries."

Dr. Serebour stated that the body of medical doctors is vehemently against illegal mining, which has destroyed water bodies and farmlands in many parts of the country.

"Let me take this opportunity to inform you that the Ghana Medical Association does not support Galamsey. We think that there are pragmatic ways of dealing with it. There's no way I can plunge this association into a strike with no end in sight because the strike that Organised Labour is declaring is indefinite. Again, three weeks from today, we have our annual general conference. You are in the conference as medical superintendents today; if I declare a strike even though council has said no, I am sure all of you will have to run back to your facilities to go and quench the fire that will be erupting there."

KA

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