|
GMA not happy
with new salary structure
Accra, April 2, GNA - The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) on
Monday asked the Government to come to the negotiation table
to discuss all contentious issues on salaries and conditions
of service as agreed upon by the National Labour Commission
(NLC).
"There is need for a comprehensive Collective Bargaining
Agreement (CBA) ... Failing that we will re-examine our
obviously limited options, including seeking redress at the
law courts if the National Executive of the GMA so-decides",
Dr Francis Adu-Ababio, President of GMA, said at a press
conference in Accra.
The press conference among other things was to correct the
erroneous impression being created that doctors were now the
best salaried workers and to address the distortions of the
new salary structure, which replaced the old and the
Additional Duty Hour Allowance (ADHA).
The GMA President said after a year of salary reforms, which
were said to be the best, the GMA found the gains being
eroded by unilateral Government decisions on issues that
were never discussed.
The NLC had earlier ordered the Government to sign a
comprehensive CBA with the GMA covering conditions of
service including fuel allowance; wage opener clause among
other things and also cautioned the Government to desist
from unilateral actions in dealing with the trade unions of
which the GMA was now affiliated.
He said the Government's disrespect for the decisions
reached at the negotiations, the disregard of the tenets of
the Labour Law, its ridicule of the two rulings of the NLC
even as the GMA sought to use legal means to resolve
disputes was unacceptable.
The GMA President has, therefore, asked the Government to as
matter of urgency reverse all unilateral decisions, which
had not been discussed, adding "we cannot lose sight of the
Fair Wages Commission and the current public sector reforms
as GMA is poised to make representations before all the
bodies to pursue the interest of our members.
"Should all these fail, we would have no other alternative
than to present the facts of our efforts to our discerning
members, who would then advise on further action
accordingly", he said.
Some of the issues raised were scaling down negotiated
salaries, irrational branding of various classes of doctors
and pegging of non-clinical administrative positions to
clinical position of senior specialists consultants.
Other issues bothered on the freezing of promotions of all
categories of staff in the affected area agencies; the
percentage-rated rent deductions of the higher the salaries
the more you pay irrespective of the apartment; abrogation
of fuel allowance and arbitrary car loan deductions all in
view of the new salary.
“This distorts the rational basis for a new salary structure
apart from the fact that it was not negotiated for by the
GMA”, he said.
"Today, it is for the discerning people of Ghana to
appreciate the extent to which the GMA has bent over
backwards to fulfil the Labour Law and the extent to which
that action and inactions of our employers to disturb
industrial harmony. Untimely, it is our wish that we create
the environment in which optimal health may be provided to
the Ghanaian”, he said.
GNA
|
