Resort to dialogue instead of strike - Minister

Mr Yaw Barimah, Minister of Manpower Development and Employment (MMDE), on Tuesday said the health sector was very crucial since it dealt with human lives and called on workers to resort to dialogue in resolving issues affecting them instead of embarking on strike actions.

He said: "The devastating consequences of non-resort to social dialogue has led to great loss of human resource".

Mr Barimah said this in a speech read for him at the opening of a two-day national workshop on the theme: "Social Dialogue In The Health Sector" in Accra being attended by participants from all the health workers unions in the country, Ghana Employers Association and the Trades Union Congress.

The workshop, which is being organised by the International Labour Organisation (ILO) in collaboration with MMDE aims at assisting social partners in the health sectors; strengthen and build capacities for a fruitful dialogue to improve upon the working environment.

Mr Barimah said agitated workers often embarked on strike actions when the elections drew closer and "a number of lives lost during those periods is shameful to report", adding, "this should not occur when social dialogue prevails in the sector".

He, however, noted that there had been an increasing drive from both public and private sector organisations resorting to social dialogue approach in resulting matters of mutual concern.

This he said was a good sign and healthy development that could create and maintain peaceful environment for sound and rapid socio-economic development of the nation.

Mr Bariah reminded the participants that HIV/AIDS was real and a big threat to the labour force and urged them to help to curb the menace by educating one another.

Mr Cornelius Dzakpasu, ILO Area Director for Nigeria and Ghana, said social dialogue was one of the ILO's four strategic objectives in promoting decent work for all, which included negotiations, consultations or exchange of information between different parties on issues of common interest relating to economic and social policies.

He urged participants to come out with "own-home-grown structures and systems to facilitate dialogue in the health sector.

Dr Felix Anyah, Director-General of Holy Trinity Medical Centre, who represented the Ghana Employers Association (GEA), said the controversies surrounding the mass exodus of health professionals and various incentive arrangements were threatening to tear the public health sector apart.

He called on social partners to develop structures that would provide efficient, high quality health service to the public and offer decent employment and better working conditions of service to personnel.