Volta Nurses Plan Demo

FLASHBACK! The aggrieved nurses.
Barring any last-minute hitches, over 300 nurses of the Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives of Ghana in the Volta Region will pour onto the streets of Ho, the Volta regional capital to protest against government's inability to pay their salaries and other allowances.

The Coalition of Unpaid Nurses and Midwives of Ghana comprises members from the Registered General Nurses (RGN), Registered Midwives (RM), Registered Mental Nurses (RMN), Registered Community Nurses (RCN), Enrolled Nurses (EN) and Certified Community Nurses (CCN) in the region.

The body plans to hold series of demonstrations across the country to compel the relevant authorities to pay their salary arrears.

He announced that the demonstration in the Volta Regional would follow the one held in the Ashanti Region yesterday, 25 th  November, 2014.

'Tamale one will also follow the Volta Region in that order until the entire 10 regions are covered,' he noted.

He disclosed that if nothing is done by the authorities after the regional protests, all nurses would embark on a grand demonstration in the national capital, Accra and strike.

He stressed that 'you can imagine over 2000 nurses going on strike, because we are tired and we are suffering. Government is not being realistic and sensitive to our plight.'

A news release signed by the Volta Regional Coordinator of the group, Theophilus Kwadzo Doh and copied to DAILY GUIDE , said their decision to hold the demonstration on Wednesday, December 3 was informed by the lackadaisical attitude of government in meeting their needs.

He explained that for the past two years, nurses who graduated and those in school have been denied their salaries and allowances spanning six to 19 months.

He said 'some of our members have been working for the past six to 19 months, but our salaries and arrears due us have not been paid over those periods.'

Theophilus, who has been working as a nurse for almost two years, said 'I only received three months salary arrears in June and others have received only one month, some nothing at all for more than a year.'

'The annoying part is that our service allowances and allowances as students bonded to serve the state after school have also not been paid for close to two years.'

Theophilus continued: 'We have dialogued with the Ministry of Health (MoH), who directed us to our mother body, Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRANMA) and still little has been done about the situation.'

'It appears the government is not listening to us and no one wants to take responsibility.'

'My brother, just imagine a young nurse who has paid rent, water bills, electricity bill, feeding, transportation and many others without salary for even six months. This is not fair the government is being insensitive, but claims to be a listening government.'

From Fred Duodu, Ho ( [email protected] )