A labor consultant, Mr. Austen Gamey, has asked the National Labor Authority (NLA) to take the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) to court to compel its striking Doctors to get back to the wards. He explained that, the law prevents them (Doctors) entirely from embarking on any form of strike per the country’s labor act, section (163). Speaking on Xfm’s morning show, ‘the big bite’ on Tuesday October 18, 2011, he was worried about the ongoing tussle between Government and the Association and its bearing on the health care system in the country.
”The NLA should take them to court and ask the court to compel them to go back to work” he stressed.
He felt there is nothing justifiable about the strike action and that if the Doctors had any issue, they should have initiated a negotiation with the commission. Mr. Gamey said in the event that it doesn’t work, the option of compulsory arbitration under section 164 of the labor act can be enforced and per the indications of the act, they are not even suppose to embark on any form of sit down strike at all due to their classification as ‘essential’ workers under the act. He added that the labor Commission being fully aware of that provision should not have let the case hang on their hands to this extent but rather pin the striking Doctors down by invoking section (173) by filling an exparte motion from the court to get them back to the wards.
He felt the Doctors are pushing every Ghanaian to the wall with their actions, stating emphatically that ‘they are not the only professionals in the country’. He advised them to quit if they feel their conditions are bad and go anywhere to work instead of holding the whole country to ransom.
”If they are so important and feel they are the ‘alpha and omega’ of the country, they should quit and go to London or America and work” he concluded.
Story by Nana Mensah/ Xfm 95.1/ Accra/ Ghana
Source: GhanaWeb
