Beginning on Thursday, September 27, all mortuary workers nationwide would go on an indefinite strike, according to Richard Kofi Jordan, General Secretary of the Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG).
Long-standing complaints about insufficient personal protective equipment (PPE), unpaid wage arrears, and broken promises about bonuses and funding approval for additional hires are the reason for this action.
Mr. Jordan voiced his dissatisfaction with the Ministry of Health and other pertinent authorities’ tardy response in an appearance on Joy News’ PM Express, citing repeated discussions and negotiations as the reason.
Reasons
Mr. Jordan has brought up a number of important issues, one of which is the essential and long-standing lack of proper personal protective equipment (PPE) for mortuary personnel.
According to him, offering PPEs is crucial for ensuring the security of employees performing delicate work in difficult settings, particularly in light of the COVID-19 epidemic.
The problem of unpaid pay arrears, which have been building since 2020, was also brought up by Mr. Jordan.
The unpaid arrears put further financial strain on the already overworked employees, even after multiple interactions with the Ministry of Health and other government agencies.
The requirement for financial approval in order to hire additional mortuary staff members, given the current workforce’s extreme limitations, is another subject of controversy.
He pointed out that no real action has been taken to alleviate the staffing shortages, even though talks with government agencies are still ongoing.
During the COVID-19 pandemic, the government promised bonuses to frontline health professionals, but mortuary personnel were left out.
Mr. Jordan expressed disappointment, stating, “The President promised bonuses for all frontline health workers, but mortuary workers were exempted. These are the four key issues that we are dealing with for this particular strike action.”
Response
Mr. Jordan stated that the administration had requested more time to address the problems and had promised remedies by the end of November in response to a recent meeting with representatives from the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Health, and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission.
He made it clear, though, that the association would not put up with any further hold-ups.
He emphasized that although the issues have been brought up several times over the years, no significant progress has been made.
At the end of the session, Mr. Jordan gave a clear order to all mortuary employees, telling them to lock their doors on Thursday, September 27, unless their requests were fulfilled.
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