National Labour Commission sues pharmacists over strike
A suit has been filed at the Labour Division of the High Court by the National Labour Commission (NLC) which seeks to compel striking members of the Government and Hospitals Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) to call off their industrial action.
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The suit was filed today, two days after members of GHOSPA begun an indefinite strike on Monday to push for changes to their market premiums.
“We have filed a motion at the High Court, Labour Division, to get a court order to get them to resume work immediately,” the NLC Executive Secretary, Charles Adongo Bawa Duah said in an interview on Citi FM.
"Even though every worker is justified in pressuring the employer for better conditions of service and higher remuneration, they should also take note that they have a responsibility to ensure that people do not die needless deaths.”
GHOPSA had earlier stated that it was forced to embark on a strike after the breakdown of negotiations with government, spanning six years, over its grade structure and placement in public health facilities.
The NLC desisted from describing the strike as illegal, although it said GHOSPA’s actions were not in the interest of of the public hence its decision to seek redress from the law courts.
Background
Pharmacists in government hospitals on Monday began an indefinite strike to press home their demands for fair treatment.
The pharmacists, numbering about 600 across the country, are demanding that their salary grade structure, Interim Market Premium and conditions of service should be reviewed by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC).
