Striking workers resume work
Work in public institutions remained slow after 12 striking labour unions called off their two-week strike over the management of the second tier pension scheme.
When the Daily Graphic visited a number of institutions in Accra on Wednesday it found that some workers had reported for work but were idling about while others had congregated in small groups discussing issues related to their strike.
Waiting for orders
They said they were waiting for a written order from their parent unions per whose instruction they embarked on the strike to resume work.
At the Ridge Hospital, the Administrator, Mr Sillim Sayers, said the staff of the hospital did not go on strike, adding that, “We did not see any strike. We did not even participate. We were coming to work and closing normally”.
He said the facility was a referral centre and that they normally did not attend to fresh cases unless they were emergencies.
However,the Out-Patient Department (OPD) was virtually empty, while some offices such as the Office of the Deputy Director of Nursing Services in charge of Medicine and Paediatrics, Family Planning, and Institutional Public Health remained closed.
‘We can never go on strike’
An official of the Directly Observed Chemo-Therapy Short Course Centre (DOTS) told the Daily Graphic that for the nature of their work, staff of the department could never go on strike.
The Administrator of the Accra Psychiatric Hospital, Mr Nsiah Anyetei, said unionised staff members were still waiting for a letter from the leadership of the union before they would resume work.
He said the declaration of the strike was a group action and, therefore, instructions were required from the leadership of the union for work to resume.
Schools inactive
When the Daily Graphic visited the Cluster of Schools near the Holy Spirit Cathedral, at Adabraka, which comprises the Gray Memorial Basic School, Calvary Methodist 1 and 2 Basic Schools, Boundary Road and Amugi Avenue Basic Schools, the schools had closed as at 12 p.m., contrary to their normal closing time of 4 p.m.
When contacted, the head teacher, identified only as Sowah, said “The situation is normal,” got into his car and drove off.
Ministries back to life
At the Ministries, the number of vehicles that usually parked at the parking spaces that had been absent for the duration of the strike had returned.
The taxis that often lurked in corners of the Ministries had also come back and so had food vendors, itinerant sellers and ‘shoemakers’.
However, some sources, who chose to remain anonymous, said a good number of staff members were still absent, adding that those who had reported for work were not serious about their future.
“If they really cared about their future, they would not readily come to work until the government responded positively to the demands of workers,” one of them said.
From Kumasi, Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor reports that health workers at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) yesterday returned to the wards following the decision by labour unions to call off their strike.
Most of the wards were busy with activities like nurses and doctors attending to patients.
From Wa, Michael Quaye writes that public sector workers in the Upper west Region returned to full-time work yesterday as the leadership of their various labour unions called off their strike.
Health workers, teachers, and administrative staff at the education directorate had returned to work.
Samuel Duodo reports from Tamale that public schools in the Tamale metropolis have re-opened, following the suspension of the strike.
Also in full operation were the various public hospitals in the metropolis.
Upon a visit to schools in the metropolis yesterday morning the Daily Graphic saw some teachers at post but they were seated under trees chatting.
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