Renowned labour consultant Austin Gamey has commented on the nurses’ strike
Renowned labour consultant, Austin Gamey, has urged the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) to reconsider their current strike, emphasizing that proper industrial relations procedures were not followed.
Speaking on Morning Starr with Naa Dedei Tettey, Gamey said the GRNMA is not just an association, but a recognized labour union, and as such, is bound by specific rules and laws that govern its conduct.
“Remember, they are union, they are not just Ghana Registered Nurses Association, they are union, and there is a law that takes care of them,” he stressed.
According to him, any changes to agreed-upon conditions of service must be handled strictly by the parties involved in the original negotiation. “No other person, not even the president of Ghana, can vary it,” he pointed out.
Gamey explained that there is flexibility within industrial relations to adjust terms, but this must be done through proper channels. “Negotiation doesn’t mean renegotiation… You can remarry, you can adjust, you can do whatsoever. There is flexibility, that’s why they call it industrial relations,” he noted.
The consultant revealed that if the union had sought his guidance, as they had done in the past, the strike could have been avoided entirely. “If they had consulted me as they used to do, they would never have gone on a strike in the first place,” he lamented.
Though he acknowledged his current hands-off stance, Gamey maintained that he would always be available to provide insight: “I can always tell everybody what the reality is.”
