Striking pharmacists to meet National Labour Commission

The Government Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) will on Wednesday meet the National Labour Commission (NLC) to find solution to the demands of members to end their strike which has entered its second week.

Just like the striking members of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA), the pharmacists are demanding for the payment of their salary arrears as well as their market premium as negotiated by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).

In an interview with the Ghana News Agency (GNA), President of GHOSPA, Stephen Corquaye on Tuesday, he said series of meetings have been held with NLC, FWSC but “We are hoping that [Wednesday's] meeting with NLC will be fair and just to resolve all the outstanding issues so we can resume and serve our beloved clients”.

He said it was his wish that NLC would implement its ruling that pharmacists should be put on the right levels as stipulated in the salary structure presented on their behalf by Ghana Health Service and also resolve the issue of market premium.

“It will be the outcome of the meeting that will determine whether our position will change. We cannot hold our patients whom we love so much to ransom. We hope something good will come out of Wednesday’s meeting so we can go back to work,” he added.

GHOSPA on April 8, embarked on a strike to press on government to meet their demands.

Meanwhile, members of GMA have given government up till April 21 to meet their demands, or they would suspend services to emergency cases in addition to out-patient department cases

They will however attend to in-patients till they are well and discharged.

Speaking to the GNA in an interview on Tuesday, the President of the GMA, Dr Kwabena Opoku Adusei said the Association is still waiting for a concrete response from government.