Nurses Suspend Strike after Parliamentary Intervention
- The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association has called off its strike after meeting with the Parliamentary Committee on Health
- The strike, which disrupted healthcare services across the country, was suspended following an agreement addressing the union's concerns
- Healthcare services in Ghana are expected to return to normal as the GRNMA continues to monitor the implementation of the agreement
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has called off its ongoing strike following intervention by Parliament.
This comes after the leadership of the GRNMA met with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health on Thursday, June 12, 2025.
Source: UGC
At a press conference held on Friday, June 13, 2025, the leadership of the GRNMA directed nurses to return to work starting Saturday, June 14, 2025.
The statement, credited to Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, the president of the association, reads as follows:
"In relation to the pleas of the good people of Ghana, pleas from our patients, and the timely intervention of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, the leadership of the association wishes to state as follows: the engagement held with the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health and other interested parties on Thursday, June 12, 2025, was very fruitful and has paved the way for an amicable resolution of the impasse with our employer regarding the implementation of our Collective Agreement.
"In view of the point above, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association's industrial action, initiated on June 2, 2025, is hereby suspended, pending the outcome of the follow-up meeting scheduled for June 26, 2025. We call on our dear nurses and midwives to resume their normal shift duties starting Saturday, June 14, 2025," she directed.
Ofori-Ampofo, while directing the nurses and midwives to return to work, further assured them of the GRNMA's unwavering commitment to ensuring that the Collective Agreement is implemented by the government.
The leadership of the GRNMA also expressed its gratitude to the Chairman of the Parliamentary Select Committee on Health, Nawaane Kurt Mark Nabdam, the Ranking Member, Vice Chairperson, and all members of the committee.
The video of the announcement of the strike ending is below:
Why GRNMA embarked on national strike
The GRNMA embarked on a roadmap of industrial actions on Monday, June 2, 2025, starting with the wearing of red armbands and headbands.
This was followed by the withdrawal of Outpatient Department (OPD) and Emergency services, culminating in the total withdrawal of all nursing and midwifery services on June 9, 2025.
The GRNMA took this strike action to demand the full implementation of its Collective Agreement with the government, which was signed in 2024.
GRNMA addresses misinformation about their strike
Speaking during the press conference, which was telecast live on Facebook, Ofori-Ampofo also used the opportunity to address some misinformation about their strike action.
She said that as nurses and midwives, they did not delight in seeing patients suffer but could not take good care of others when the system did not take good care of them too.
Source: UGC
"We are nurses and midwives trained to provide essential health services to the Ghanaian population, and matters affecting us, which are brought formally to the attention of the employer, must be treated with the urgency they deserve and in good faith," she stated.
She also reiterated the GRNMA's non-partisanship, categorically stating that the association did not align with any political party and worked solely for the welfare of nurses and midwives in Ghana.
"The GRNMA is a non-partisan professional association and trade union and the holder of the Collective Bargaining Certificate covering all nurses and midwives in Ghana. In its sixty-five years (65 years) of existence, the GRNMA has NEVER aligned with any political party in Ghana," she said.
Gov't appeal to retired nurses and midwives
Following the strike action declared by the GRNMA, YEN.com.gh also reported that the Minister for Health, Kwabena Minta Akandoh, appealed to retired nurses and midwives to volunteer during the healthcare strike.
The indefinite strike by the GRNMA grounded operations at many healthcare facilities. The minister commended nurses who remained on duty and urged others to return to work amid the efforts to resolve the situation.
Proofreading by Bruce Douglas, copy editor at YEN.com.gh.
Source: YEN.com.gh
