A 10-day injunction has been placed on the nationwide strike declared by the Ghana Registered and Midwives Association (GRNMA) after the National Labour Commission (NLC) filed an ex parte application on Thursday, June 5.

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The Industrial and Labour Division of the High Court in Accra has described the strike action as illegal.

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The court presided over by Justice Priscilla Dikro Ofori has therefore ordered the GRNMA to halt its ongoing strike with immediate effect.

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“It is hereby ordered that the application is granted and the respondent herein, its executives, officers, members, agents, servants, employees, and other persons linked to the respondent are hereby injuncted or restrained from carrying on their illegal strike with immediate effect,” Justice Ofori stated in her order.

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The GRNMA, in a letter dated May 29, notified the NLC of its intent to embark on industrial action over delays in their 2024 Collective Agreement.

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In response, the Ministry of Health on May 30 met all associations in the nursing fraternity, including the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Union of Professional Nurses and Midwives (UPNMG), Ghana Registered Midwives Association (GRMA), National Association of Registered Midwives (NARM-G), Psychiatric Nurses Association, Ghana (PAPNG) and the Nurses and Midwives Educators Society.

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During the meeting, all parties except the GRNMA accepted the sector minister's proposal for a 3-member team with a representative each from the nurses group, the Ministry of Finance, and the Ministry of Health to see to the finality of the matter.

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However, GRNMA embarked on a strike action on Monday, June 2, to demand payment of their outstanding allowances following unsuccessful discussions with the ministry.

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"We negotiated our conditions of service. It was signed, sealed, and delivered, but it is not seeing implementation...and all that we are asking the Ministry of Finance is to approve the signed commission of service for implementation," President of the GRNMA, Dr David Tenkorang Twum, told the media.

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Reacting to the injunction, the GRNMA has disclosed that it is yet to formally receive a court order restraining its ongoing strike.

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The Public Relations Officer (PRO) of the GRNMA, Joseph Krampah, has insisted that the group will continue its strike until an official injunction notice is served. According to him, although the association is a law-abiding group, it cannot obey unofficial reports.

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“They think that they should serve us a letter; we can’t prevent them, but what constitutes an illegal strike? When in Ghana has the Labour Commission said that this strike is legal? It is only illegal when they don’t inform your office about the intended strike, and we did—you had the letter,” Krampah said.

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He added, “If you are declaring it as illegal or whatever and you are bringing an injunction, that is your job to do, and we respect the court and the NLC very much. We are law-abiding people. But just that things that we have not seen, we cannot act on them. I am saying that we haven’t received any letter. None of the executives have been served any letter about that. So till we know that, aluta continua.”

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However, the GRNMA remains resolute in its decision to intensify the strike with plans to withdraw both outpatient and emergency services across the country.

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According to the association, protesting is the only way to compel the government to address the group's concerns; as such, it will not participate in any further negotiations until its entitlements under the signed agreement are fulfilled.

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“Looking at what we have, the only tool we have that we can take to let the employer listen is that we have taken and we passed through due process. So we feel that Ghanaians are affected in a way, but that is the weapon we have. If you don’t want to sign it, something that is binding on the employer, you don’t want to sign it, and you call me to come and sit down again, that is something we can’t pick,” the Public Relations Officer of the GRNMA noted.

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To ensure that the general public continues to access quality healthcare, the Health Ministry has instructed all hospital managers, particularly Directors of Nursing Services and their Deputies, to be present at work at all times during the period of the industrial action.

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The ambulance service is expected to remain on standby in every district to support emergencies promptly. Additionally, all health facilities are to establish coordinating structures that can effectively manage emergencies and maintain continuous communication with ambulance services to ensure a swift response when needed.

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Furthermore, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, along with Chief Executive Officers and Medical Directors of Teaching Hospitals, is required to provide daily reports to the Acting Chief Director on the status of healthcare service delivery within their respective institutions.

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To manage the anticipated surge in patient numbers due to ongoing industrial action, the Ministry of Health has pledged to collaborate with quasi-government health facilities. This partnership aims to ease the pressure on public health institutions and ensure continuous care delivery.

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The ministry has also advised rotational nurses and those currently undergoing mandatory clinical training to refrain from participating in any form of industrial action. Their cooperation is crucial in maintaining essential services during this period.

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Ongoing monitoring of the situation will be conducted by the ministry to ensure that all necessary logistics and resources are made available to mitigate the impact of the strike.

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