The Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union (MELPWU) has served notice to embark on a nationwide strike starting June 17, 2024, due to the government’s failure to address their concerns over poor working conditions.
The union has been negotiating with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) for nearly two years, but negotiations have stalled, prompting the union to take this industrial action.
MELPWU General Secretary Dr. Cephas Kofi Akortor expressed disappointment at the lack of progress in negotiations and accused the FWSC and Ministry of Finance of “deliberately frustrating” the process.
“Without prejudice to the directives given by the National Labour Commission on 30th May 2024, we recognize that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Ministry of Finance are deliberately frustrating the efforts of a rather peaceful union that is ensuring that Labour-Management relationship does not suffer,” the union said in a statement.
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The strike will affect all laboratory services in government hospitals across Ghana, including medical laboratories, blood banks, pathology laboratories, and selected mortuary facilities.
The union’s membership includes medical laboratory scientists, medical laboratory technicians, and medical laboratory assistants who provide laboratory diagnostic services in all clinical laboratories and blood banks under the Ministry of Health and allied agencies.
The strike is expected to put pressure on the government to address the union’s demands, which include improved working conditions, better salaries, and the financial clearance for non-mechanized members.
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The union has urged the government to engage in meaningful negotiations to resolve the dispute and prevent the strike from having a negative impact on healthcare services in Ghana.