Gov’t is acting illegally by negotiating with striking doctors – Kwesi Pratt

daniel russell

August 13, 2015 5:35 PM

President John Dramani Mahama in an interview with Uniiq FM in Accra on Wednesday described the strike action as ‘senseless’ and ‘illegal’.

Managing Editor of the Insight Newspaper, Kwesi Pratt, has questioned why President Mahama is negotiating with the leadership of the striking doctors after saying that their action was illegal.

“The government is also acting illegally by continuing the negotiation under duress. If government knows that [the strike] is indeed illegal, then why should they go ahead and negotiate with them?” he wondered on Adom FM’s morning show,

“The labour law states that nobody must negotiate under duress. Even before negotiations begun they declared strike. Nobody must die as a result of an illegal strike. The doctor’s strike is illegal… The doctors must go back to work while negotiations continue in good faith,” he said.

Medical doctors have been on strike for about two weeks now after their negotiations on conditions of service with government hit a deadlock. They planned resigning en masse Friday, August 14 but have served notice they will review their decision at a General Assembly of the Ghana Medical Association on the same day.

The Ghana Medical Association (GMA) has presented a proposal detailing what they would have government provide them as part of their conditions of service but some government spokespersons have described the proposal as outrageous. As a result, the striking doctors have refused to yield to pressure to resume work.

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daniel russell