Labour expert Austin Gamey says the ongoing strike by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) should not have happened without further dialogue, stressing that negotiations do not end once an agreement is signed.
The striking nurses and midwives insist that they will not renegotiate already agreed-upon conditions of service from 2024, despite the government's concern that if implemented this year, the conditions of service will throw its budget out of gear.
Speaking on Joy FM's Super Morning Show on Wednesday, June 11, Gamey clarified common misconceptions surrounding labour negotiations, particularly in relation to the strike action by the nurses and midwives.
Reacting to the widespread belief that once a collective agreement is signed it must be implemented without any further negotiation, Mr Gamey stated, "I've heard many people saying that agreements have been reached, it is not to be negotiated again before implementation, it's not correct." He explained that in industrial relations, implementation is not a mechanical step following agreement but a process that can itself be negotiated, especially if one party raises genuine concerns. "In industrial relations, when you are negotiating, when you have concluded the negotiation, when you are to implement the negotiation, it is all subject to review," he said. "But the parties that sat to negotiate the conditions of service, if one party has a genuine concern, it has to be raised.
