Their demand for improved working conditions is what the action is meant to support. They had originally intended to begin the strike on March 24, but the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations stepped in and caused it to be postponed.
The Divisional Executive Council of the union, which is a component of the Public Services Workers’ Union (PSWU) of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), has unanimously agreed to halt all operations after a council meeting on May 23 because no progress has been made. As a result, the PSWU has declared that, until further notice, all services rendered by its members in the headquarters, regional offices, district offices, and premium centers of NIA have been suspended indefinitely.
The union declared its intention to go on strike in a statement signed by Francis Bangfudeme Nyuzaghi, the chairman of the council, and Kwabena Adu Kyeremeh, the secretary of the council.
In order to highlight their continuous requests for improved working conditions, the union clarified that the decision was a reaction to worker agitation.
Among the issues brought up was the fact that their pay stubs did not reflect the authorized allowances specified in their Conditions of Service.
“The government, represented by the FWSC, and the management of NIA, among other things, were required to facilitate the negotiation and implementation of better conditions of service for NIA staff in order to defer the strike action,” the statement issued yesterday stated. The government hasn’t, however, been sincere in the negotiations.
Therefore, in response to our members’ increased agitation for the necessity of starting an industrial action to highlight our subpar and humiliating working circumstances, the Divisional Executive Council has decided to proclaim this indefinite strike.”NIA replies When NIA employees threatened to go on strike in March of last year, management issued a statement stating that they were unable to comply with staff requests over their Conditions of Service.
The NIA characterized the proposals as unrealistic in a letter written by Prof. Kenneth Agyemang Attafuah, the Executive Secretary. Since the FWSC is the only statutory entity with the authority to properly review and act upon the suggestions, management is unable to carry out the recommendations it has sent to this third party. Your request that NIA’s recommendations be implemented by the FWSC and included in the staff’s March 2024 pay stub is unreasonable and unachievable in light of these circumstances,” the letter stressed.
