NLC issues directive to doctors to call off three week old strike

The National Labour Commission has directed striking public sector doctors to call off their three week old strike.

This follows a meeting with the doctors and government.

The doctors are demanding that government codifies their conditions of service otherwise they will resign.

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has already expressed lack of confidence in the ability of the NLC to resolve the impasse.

But a statement from the Commission after yesterday’s meeting and having heard from all stakeholders, has asked the GMA to take steps to call off the strike immediately.

It asked both government and the doctors to resume negotiations and report to the Commission on Monday August 24 at 4:00pm.

The Commission also asked both parties to cease all media engagements on the issue.

Meanwhile the minority in parliament will this morning address the media on the state of health care delivery in the country.

The news conference which will be addressed by the Minority’s representatives on the health committee of parliament will among others disclose in detail the position of government and GMA on the negotiation for conditions of service after several meetings between the health committee and the two bodies.

Meanwhile, police in the Ashanti Region have started investigations into alleged death threats issued against some executives of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA).

Joy News has learnt that in one instance the home addresses of some of the doctors were published to facilitate armed attacks against them.

Ashanti Regional President of the GMA says the threats are linked to their decision to withdraw their services to protest government’s failure to agree on their conditions of service.

In a press statement issued Wednesday, the President of the GMA, Dr Kwabena Opoku Adusei noted that some government communicators have gone on air to openly encourage armed robbers to attack homes of these doctors.

The communicators also gave out details and direction to these doctors, the statement said.

The GMA gave no names of doctors facing threats or government communicators it accused, but Dr. Kwabena Opoku Adusei is criticising government for "silent support for these threats."

The GMA says nothing will deter it from fighting for a documented set of conditions of work. “No conditions of service, no work”, Deputy General Secretary of the GMA, Dr. Justice Yankson stressed.

In a related development, all GMA members in the region are expected to have a crucial meeting later today on some of the issues emerging later today.