The National Labour Commission (NLC) has debunked claims by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) that they did not receive any court order from the NLC indicating there had been injunction on the intended strike.

The NLC said it made frantic efforts to serve the executives of the Association but they ran away without receiving the court injunction.

The GRNMA is bent to go ahead with their intended strike effective on Monday, September 21, 2020, despite the interim injunction secured by National Labour Commission (NLC) to restrain them.

According to the Association, it is yet to receive any official injunction notice to that effect.

The NLC on Friday secure an interim injunction to restrain the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association from going ahead with its intended strike, but the Association says it will not back down on its demands.

Reacting to the entrenched posture of the Association on Onua FM’s Yen Sempa on Monday, the Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission, Ofosu Asamoah said “on Friday, we went to their office to serve them. They were in a meeting at the time we got there but they ran away”.

“We met one administrator by name Mr. Ofori but he also refused to take the injunction, saying he was under instructions not to receive it”.

Mr. Ofosu Asamoah explained that the Association was therefore served electronically and other means so they cannot claim they have not been served.

“We posted it on their notice board. We sent it to them electronically through whatsapp and we have called them too”

Contempt

The NLC Executive Secretary told duo hosts, Anokyewaaba Serwaa and Nana Okyere Awurukuo that “those who would declare the strike would be in contempt of court and they risk losing their salaries if they refused to work. The leaders also would be in contempt and that could land them into prison”.

“The President of the GRNA is already in contempt because she has written to the members that they should not report to work today and that in itself is in contempt”.

Mr. Ofosu Asamoah explained that “she is in retirement but encouraging those in active service to engage in an illegal strike”.

Monitoring

He said the NLC would monitor various hospitals and health centres as to whether nurses and midwives would work or not and that would inform the NLC on what actions to take.

“We are monitoring the situation today and that will determine whether they are in contempt or not. We are also monitoring the media for reports and that will also help us”.

Impact on government

Mr. Ofosu Asamoah noted that workers in the country must know that the Coronavirus pandemic is greatly affecting the government.

“Electricity is free; water is free so the government is losing a lot of revenue. There is financial pressure on the government but we have not heard the government has slashed salaries of workers”.

“Schools have been closed since March this year but the teachers are being paid, so if they take that entrench position, it will worry the nation”.

Effort to resolve impasse

Mr. Ofosu Asamoah explained that “the law does not permit them to go on strike because they did not inform the Commission”.

“When we heard the intentions to embark on strike, we invited them all. We have invited the Health Ministry, the Finance, and Labour Ministries and we are meeting on Wednesday, September 23, 2020. But we have not yet met on Wednesday but they declared strike”.