We, the members of the Health Services Workers’ Union (HSWU); having extensively deliberated on the relevant issues confronting the Union, state the following;
SINGLE SPINE BASE PAY:
Over the past three years, the Union has observed with much displeasure, the consistent public sector wage increase of 10% which is woefully inadequate to ameliorate the numerous economic hardships faced by workers. This meager increment by the government quickly dissipates as a result of the increase and the introduction of new taxes and the fact that petroleum products are under a deregulated system where the increase in the world oil prices, having a direct and indirect linkage, automatically increase the prices of goods and services, not to talk of the fluctuating exchange rates.
Premised on the above stated facts and other unmentioned militating factors, NEC calls on the Trades Union Congress (Ghana) not to countenance these meager increments in the ongoing public sector negotiation. If this situation occurs the parties should go back to the negotiation table.
INCREMENTAL CREDITS:
It has also come to the notice of the National Union that since the advent of the HSSS in 2006, there have not been any structured incremental credits for our members which is in contravention of section 17.1.2 of the Collective Agreement. This anomaly, as the issue stands now, is causing rage and infuriation among our members.
In this prevailing circumstance, NEC wishes to call on the Ministry of Finance and the FWSC to take immediate and effective steps to ensure the payment of increments and the arrears due are paid to our members to avoid any industrial unrest.
MARKET PREMIUM:
The Ministry of Finance, despite several prompts by the Union, incessantly calculates the market premium of public sector workers on the 2012 base pay, disregarding the spirit and letter of the Single Spine Pay Policy. In effect, members continue to receive premium that does not commensurate with their current base pay. In the light of this, the Union calls on the Ministry of Finance and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to rectify this anomaly.
SELECTIVE IMPLEMENTATION OF THE COLLECTIVE AGREEMENT:
NEC was emphatic that the Ministry of Health and its allied agencies must fulfil their part of the Collective Agreement by ensuring that management of these agencies respect and implement the provisions therein to forestall any industrial action. It is the belief of NEC that the Ministry should endeavour to create a congenial working environment in our collective pursuit of quality health care delivery by adhering to the agreement signed by the parties.
In the same vein, NEC resolved that certain allowances, such as fuel and car maintenance allowance, that have financial implications on the health facilities should be consolidated and paid from the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.
NATIONAL HEALTH INSURANCE SCHEME:
The NEC is gravely concerned about the erratic payment of claims to the various Health Facilities by the National Health Insurance Authority. This exposition is hinged on the fact that these Health Facilities are crippled to function optimally. In the light of this, our members who are paid through the Internally Generated Funds (IGF) of the facilities suffer from delays and non-implementation of provisions in the Collective Agreement. This also has other implication in the provision of quality health care to the general public since the facilities incessantly complain of budget constraints.
It is therefore the position of the NEC in session that the National Health Insurance Authority clears all arrears and subsequent payments made on time to avoid the unnecessary delays in payment of salaries of our members.
PENSIONS:
NEC calls on the Trades Union Congress (Ghana) to, as a matter of urgency, undertake a comprehensive comparative study between PNDC Law 247 and Act 766 to ascertain which of them will be of immense benefit to Ghanaian workers, come January 2020.
At the moment, our members who have retired and those who will do so from January 2020 are left in a limbo as actual contributions are not known, so calculating their benefits by the Schemes has become problematic. In addition, the past credit declared by SSNIT is woefully inadequate. A typical example is a situation where a Principal Technical Officer, who has worked for over 37.5 years, was giving past credit of GH₵4,727.31.
In view of these issues mentioned, NEC in session calls on all relevant authorities to intervene, as a matter of urgency, to curtail the needless delay in accessing benefits from the Schemes by contributors.
