Mortuary Workers Declare Indefinite Strike, Blame Government For Ignoring Their Demands
- Mortuary workers have declared an indefinite strike to protest their poor working conditions
- The strike from September 26 follows what was described as neglicence of their current plight
- The workers said they would not negotiate with the government except to find a real solution
Ghana’s mortuary workers have declared their intention to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike on Thursday, September 26, 2024.
They are protesting against poor working conditions and unresolved grievances, including the non-payment of their salary arrears from 2020.
Source: UGC
The Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG) issued a press statement on September 17, 2024, accusing the government of ignoring their pressing demands.
The statement, signed by MOWAG General Secretary Richard Kofi Jordan, noted that the strike action is their last resort after several unsuccessful attempts to get the government to act.
Thus, MOWAG has directed that all mortuaries be closed and workers stay home until the government addresses their demands.
MOWAG warned that calls for negotiations would not be heeded as previous talks failed to address their demands.
“It is simply about implementation,” MOWAG said.
Why MOWAG is on strike
MOWAG, in their press statement, raised concern about the alarming rate of recorded deaths of mortuary workers in recent times, with 16 workers said to have died so far in 2024.
The organisation linked these deaths to the government's failure to adequately provide them with personal protective equipment, exposing staff to diseases and other health hazards while handling corpses.
MOWAG also noted that their members had not been paid their salaries since 2020, and the government had failed to approve financial clearance to employ an additional 500 mortuary workers despite hospitals nationwide being short of staff.
MOWAG claimed that the government had also failed to pay mortuary workers their COVID-19 bonuses as President Nana Akufo-Addo promised.
TEWU declares indefinite strike
YEN.com.gh earlier reported that the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) of the Trades Union Congress has announced its decision to join the Senior Staff Association of Universities of Ghana and the Federation of Senior Staff Association of Ghana in a nationwide strike.
The strike commenced on Friday, September 20, 2024, protesting grievances about soor working conditions. TEWU, in a press statement on September 18, said the government had not addressed concerns.
Proofread by Bruce Douglas, senior copy editor at YEN.com.gh
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Source: YEN.com.gh
