The nationwide strike by nurses and midwives continues unabated, plunging the healthcare sector into a deeper crisis, as the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) maintains it has yet to receive formal notification of a High Court injunction ordering a return to work.
Despite the National Labour Commission (NLC) securing an interlocutory injunction on Thursday, June 5, 2025, the GRNMA insists its “struggle continues” until legally served.
The industrial action, which commenced on Tuesday, June 4, has brought vital healthcare services across over 300 public hospitals and clinics in all 16 regions to a near standstill.
Thousands of patients have been left stranded, with emergency units operating minimally and scheduled surgeries postponed indefinitely.
Vulnerable populations, including pregnant women attending antenatal clinics and young children requiring routine immunisations, have been disproportionately affected by the sudden halt in non-emergency patient care, which has seen an 80-90% reduction in some facilities.
READ ALSO: High Court restrains GRNMA from continuing with strike for 10 days
Speaking to Citi News on Friday, June 6, Joseph Krampah, Public Relations Officer for the GRNMA, articulated the association’s firm stance.
“They think that they should serve us a letter; we can’t prevent them, but what constitutes an illegal strike? When in Ghana has the Labour Commission said that this strike is legal? It is only illegal when they don’t inform your office about the intended strike, and we did—you had the letter,” Krampah asserted, challenging the NLC’s declaration that their action is illegal.
He continued, echoing the defiant motto, “If you are declaring it as illegal or whatever and you are bringing an injunction, that is your job to do, and we respect the court and the NLC very much. We are law-abiding people. But just that things that we have not seen, we cannot act on them. I am saying that we haven’t received any letter. None of the executives has been served with any letter about that. So till we know that, aluta continua.”
The GRNMA launched the strike to protest persistent delays in the implementation of their 2024 Collective Agreement.
Key grievances include the non-payment of various critical allowances, such as responsibility, uniform, and non-basic allowances, which collectively amount to millions of cedis owed over time.
Additionally, the association cites the plight of over 5,000 newly qualified nurses and midwives who have been awaiting official postings since late 2024, a significant impediment to their professional integration.
While the NLC’s injunction from the High Court’s Industrial and Labour Division aims to compel the GRNMA’s over 128,000 members back to their posts, the technicality of non-service has created an unusual impasse.
The coming days will likely determine whether the legal process can swiftly deliver the injunction notice to the GRNMA leadership, or if the healthcare crisis will deepen as the “struggle continues.”
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