NLC meet over concerns of the Health Workers Group

Accra, Feb 10, GNA- The National Labour Commission (NLC) has directed the Appellate Body charged to correct the distortions in the new salary structure of public health sector workers to brief it and other interested groups on the progress it was making.

It said this would increase the confidence of all the parties involved and further assure them that it would meet its deadline. A statement issued and signed by Mr Mohammed Affum, Public Relations Officer of the NLC, said the Appellate Body was given February 28 to brief the Commission, the Ministry of Health (MOH) and the Health Working Group (HWG) on the progress of work so far. The statement explained that the directives were made at a follow-up meeting on Friday February 9th between the three parties to examine the factors that have accounted for the inability of the Appellate Body to present its report.

It said the inability of the Appellate Body to complete its work on schedule had created unrest in the public health sector. At the meeting, the statement said, the Appellate Body briefed the parties on the complex nature of its work and said it was realized that it should seek a mandate to broaden its terms of reference to deal with the magnitude of problems in salary relativities and corrections of distortions as well as placing of workers on their individuals salaries. It therefore pleaded for a little more time to produce a salary structure that would address the concerns of the workers in a comprehensive manner.

The HWG had earlier pointed out that the work of the Appellate Body on the salary structure should reflect the scores obtained during the evaluation done by the consultant who designed the new salary structure. The statement said following the submission, the NLC ruled that the Appellate Body should submit its report on March 31 that addressed all the concerns of the health workers. The statement mentioned Mr Christian Sottie, Controller and Accountant General, Alhaji Mohammed N Jawula, Chief Director, MOH, Mrs. Alice Asare Allotey, President, Ghana Registered Nurses Association, Mr Raymond Tetteh, Spokesman, HWG and Mr Abu Kuntalo, Deputy General Secretary, Health Services Workers Union as among those present at the meeting.