GRNMA internal fights caused delay in nurses’ conditions of service, we stepped in and placed injunction – FWSC

The Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), George Smith-Graham, has attributed the delay in executing the revised conditions of service for nurses and midwives to unresolved internal disagreements within their union.

Smith-Graham dismissed claims that the government had intentionally delayed the process. He explained that it was in fact a legal injunction—arising from internal disputes within the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA)—that disrupted the rollout of the new conditions.

“…Clearly, they know themselves that the delay in the implementation of the conditions of service had nothing to do with the government. It had to do with their internal wrangling that brought about the injunction on the implementation of their conditions of service,” he said on Citi FM’s Eyewitness News on Wednesday, June 11.

Following the legal bottleneck, Smith-Graham said the FWSC stepped in to negotiate a way forward, proposing an agreement on implementation that would preserve the benefits of the revised deal even with a later start date. He pointed out that the current contract was nearing expiration, making timely intervention crucial.

“When that happened, we quickly came in because the conditions of service are going to expire just next year. So, we as a Commission came in to request some agreement on the implementation date and the expiry of the conditions of service,” he explained.

According to Smith-Graham, the government suggested deferring implementation to 2026, citing budgetary limitations. The idea, he said, was to ensure that nurses and midwives receive full benefits from the improved conditions without jeopardizing fiscal stability.

“That is why we put before them a proposal to attempt to shift the implementation date of the conditions of service. For the rest of the conditions of service, we have agreed. All we were looking for was a shift in the implementation date so that they can enjoy the full benefit of the conditions of service, and also the government will have some fiscal space to be able to implement the conditions of service fully for them,” he stressed.