NLC Averts NHIA Workers' Strike Threat

The timely intervention of the National Labour Commission (NLC) has saved sick people relying on the health insurance scheme a great deal of discomfort as they would have been unable to access medical care from today Tuesday July 3 2012 due to a nationwide strike that workers of the National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) had threatened to embark on.

The NLC was able to avert the intended industrial action following a seven-day notice letter, as required by law, the workers union sent to both the Executive Secretary of NLC and the CEO of National Health Insurance Authority (NHIA) on June 25, 2012 signed by John Esiape, Deputy General-Secretary, Union of Industry, Commerce and Finance Workers (UNICOF).

The NLC in response asked for a two-week period to resolve the issues raised by the union, which UNICOF agreed to otherwise the delivery of health service in the country would have suffered a major setback if the strike threat had come off today.

Citing reasons for the intended industrial action in a letter that was received by both recipients same date, the union accused the NHIA of reneging on an agreed road-map brokered by the NLC to resolve issues between them and Management.

According to the letter sighted during investigations, the Union was reporting with regret that Management did not live up to its commitment but has rather escalated the situation despite intervention by the NLC to straighten various aspects of the sour relationship between them and the Management of NHIA.

Some of the issues agreed on but which management has broken its word on includes the implementation in this year of a new salary structure. In response to the union’s demand, salary has been restructured for about two (2) years now but is yet to be realized. In that vein, Management was to provide the union with job evaluation data by 15 April 2012 and if the union indicated their satisfaction a salary structure was to be produced within six (6) weeks. So salaries for 2012 have not been revised and that as of the date of issuing the strike notice, the union has yet not received the evaluation data despite several reminders while salaries for 2012 are still unsettled.

The unions also raised critical concern about reduction in members’ benefits as the payment of their allowances has been terminated upon the direct orders of the CEO.

Other matters are the refusal to allow the union use of the company’s intranet for the union to relay information to their members on the basis of technical challenges yet the same intranet was used by a staff member within the same period to send information to union members.

Management was also accused of looking unconcerned as a member of Management used the company’s intranet to disseminate false potentially damaging report about negotiations to all UNICOF members. What was most confounding to the union was that the dissemination of this falsehood was via the same intranet that the union had been denied use of. Management explained that it had not authorized that message and therefore promised to investigate the unauthorized communication by that Management member and apply appropriate sanctions but till date Management has disregarded the matter.

Another pertinent issue was how the CEO of the NHIA breached agreement that none of the parties was to speak to the media on aspects of the negotiations as he spoke to media about areas of the negotiations. The union contends that the CEO’s action made useless a communiqué to that effect and has thus empowered the union to also go to the media to discuss staff welfare issues.

Back to the issue of salary, further information has indicated that majority of NHIA workers were being paid less than the minimum wage until the union stepped in about the middle of last year 2011, to the extent that some of the workers were receiving Forty Ghana Cedis (GH? 40.00).

Information gathered as at press time alleged that the NHIA CEO was resorting to divide and rule tactics to scatter the strength of the union as he was asking the various regional local unions to dissociate themselves from the intended strike through the issuance of public statements denigrating the strike.

Another allegation flying around was that the CEO was attempting to coerce some sections of the media to blackout stories on the issues raised by the Union.

Observers are worried that if after the two-week period requested by the NLC has elapsed while matters raised are still unresolved and the union goes ahead with the strike, one can imagine the catastrophe that would befall the country’s health insurance scheme.

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Amewuga Ablordeppey

Tel: 0204707406