THE
National Executive Council of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has asked its
members to lay down their tools from October 8, this year if they are not
migrated onto the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) before then.
According to the association, the Fair
Wages and Salary Commission (FWSC) has slacked in migrating doctors onto the
SSSS, thereby preventing doctors from enjoying the 20 per cent salary
increment, which the government had implemented across board.
“Doctors are being short-changed, causing
a lot of concerns and resulting in agitations, frustrations and low morale,
especially in the light of current harsh economic realities,” the GMA stated in
a statement released to the press.
The statement, signed jointly by the
President of the GMA, Dr Emmanuel Adom Winful and the Assistant General
Secretary, Dr Frank Serebour, was issued at the close of the 5th NEC meeting of
the GMA held in Tamale in the Northern Region over the weekend.
“We have been forced to take this line
of action. We hope we would not be pushed to that point because we have our
patients at heart,” Dr Winful stated in response to a question from journalists
on why the GMA should opt for a strike action.
He explained that the GMA and the FWSC
had jaw jawed on a number of occasions regarding some of the areas of
contention, but noted that the Commission had not demonstrated enough
commitment to resolving those discrepancies.
Dr Winful explained that the grading of
medical officers on the SSSS remained a bone of contention between the GMA and
the FWSC.
He explained that whiles the job
evaluation conducted by the FWSC and representatives of all workers unions had
placed medical officers higher than some other health workers, the FWSC had
graded this category of health workers on the SSSS higher than medical
officers.
“Having made extensive inputs into the
grade structure of the SSSS based on the scientific job evaluation and analysis
as far back as December last year, the GMA is disappointed that the FWSC has
created distortions which have no bearing on the job evaluation done,” the
statement read.
“It has become absolutely clear that the
FWSC does not either believe in scientific and evidence-based analysis or are
deliberately stalling the process,” it mentioned further.
In the face of the current stand-off,
the GMA is therefore demanding that all issues concerning grading, market
premium, inducement and other related matters should be concluded by close of
October 7, 2011.
“The FWSC must show unequivocal evidence
of migration onto the SSSS by October 7, 2011, including all arrears from
January, 2010,” the statement read.
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