The Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) suspended its nationwide partial industrial action yesterday following progress made in ongoing discussions with its employers.
The association said the government had put in place measures to address its grievances, hence the suspension of the strike.
Speaking to the Daily Graphic in Accra Tuesday, the National Chairman of GHOSPA, Mr Stephen Okoe Corquaye, said the suspension of the partial strike was also in response to persistent plea from the public, particularly clients, among other reasons.
He said the decision to suspend the partial strike was taken at an emergency national delegates meeting which was held on August 30, 2015.
Expedited action
The association, however, called for expedited action on the implementation of the recommendations of a parliamentary sub-committee instituted in 2013 to review the concerns of the association in relation to its migration onto the Single Spine Salary Structure.
“It is the hope of members that the processes will be completed as scheduled to avert any such future actions,” he said.
It issued a statement Tuesday requesting all its members to resume work fully while the national executive continued its engagements with the employer.
Background
Government pharmacists began a nationwide partial strike from August 3, 2015, withdrawing all out-patient services, following failure on the part of the government to rectify some disparities in the SSSS since their migration onto the policy in 2012.
They had complained that after their migration onto the policy, their salaries turned out to be far lower than before, among other concerns.
“The structure was supposed to place pharmacists appropriately, but as we speak now there are pharmacists who are working in other public services such as the FDA and the university hospitals who are receiving three times more than some in government hospitals,” Mr Corquaye had earlier stated.
He said the problem was driving many pharmacists in the public sector into the private sector in order to find better conditions of service
