Nurses, teachers, picket at Flagstaff House, Education Ministry
Fifteen nurses and 14 teachers have been arrested for picketing at the Flagstaff House and embarking on a demonstration at the Ministry of Education, respectively, to press home their demand for employment.
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The nurses were picked up after they had defied orders by the Accra Regional Police Commander and a team of police officers to call off their demonstration, since their gathering was unlawful.
Expatiating on the incident in an interview with the Daily Graphic in Accra yesterday, the Public Relations Officer of the Accra Regional Police Command, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Efia
Tenge, described the conduct of the demonstrators as unacceptable in view of their failure to seek permission from the police.
She explained that the Accra Regional Police Commander personally asked the leader of the demonstrating nurses, Govena Tamim, to impress upon his colleagues to call off their action, but Tamim’s refusal to comply with the order left the police with no other option than to arrest the demonstrators.
ASP Tenge indicated that the demonstrators acted outside of the law, especially when the Flagstaff House was considered a security enclave.
Statements
As of the time of filing this report, the detained demonstrators were still giving their statements to the police, but ASP Tenge told the Daily Graphic that their fate was yet to be decided.
In the case of the teachers, they were arrested for demonstrating at the Ministry of Education without notifying the police.
At the Accra Regional Police Command, the teachers were also seen giving their statements.
In October last year, the Accra Regional Police Command prevented some unemployed nurses and midwives from picketing at the Flagstaff House.
They were made up of psychiatric, enrolled, general and community nurses and midwives who had completed their training in 2013 and 2014 but had not been absorbed into the system.
Writer’s email: Sebastian.syme@graphic,com.gh