Pharmacists call off strike
The Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA) has called off its strike action and directed all members to resume work immediately.
In a statement released by the National Chairman, Stephen Corquaye, it said the decision to call off the strike was reached after a swift meeting between members of the Pharmacists Association, the Minister of Health, other state Ministers and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to solve the impasse.
The statement said in view of the agreements reached “the leadership of GHOSPA hereby calls off the nationwide strike action and urges all Government and Hospital Pharmacists to, in the spirit of Amicus Humani Generis, resume work fully at their various stations across the nation.”
GHOSPA’s decision to embark on a nationwide strike effective Monday, November 7, 2011 was in reaction to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) ‘unilateral and deceitful’ migration of Pharmacists unto the SSSS without their consent and whilst negotiations on the grade and premium for pharmacists was on-going.
However, GHOSPA’s decision to call off the strike, according to the statement, was due to government’s swift and spontaneous reaction to the strike.
According to the statement, “that same evening, a 6-hour meeting was held between the sector Minister, other key Ministers, and the FWSC to resolve our grievances. At the end of the marathon discussions, the parties jointly signed a common statement setting out agreed issues.”
“Notable among these was an immediate reversal of the unilateral migration of pharmacists onto the SSS for the month of October,” the statement further said.
The statement further explained that both parties agreed that the migration would not occur until they have come to mutually satisfactory agreements regarding grading and premium of pharmacists.
“From November, the Controller and Accountants-General’s Department will revert to the status quo pre-October until the consent of pharmacists has been properly obtained for migration onto the SSS. That pharmacists as a group will be accorded the same respect and consultation offered other health workers without discrimination,” it further noted.
According to the statement, the parties also resolved to work closely together as soon as possible to resolve the outstanding issues to ensure that pharmacists were migrated unto the SSSS.
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