Unemployed nurses take case to Presidency

The Vice-President, Mr Kwesi Amissah-Arthur, has directed the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and the Ministry of Finance, to ensure that all unposted nurses receive their clearance letters to start work, before October 23 this year.

The Employment Minister, Mr Haruna Iddrisu, disclosed this when a group of unposted nurses picketed close to the Flagstaff House yesterday in Accra.

He also said a committee had been set up to address all the challenges relating to the posting of nurses to prevent future occurrences.

Protest

Numbering about 150, the group, led by its National President, Mr Emmanuel Geyevo, attempted to enter the Flagstaff House but were stopped by the police.

The group then gathered on a park about 500 metres away from the Flagstaff House where they vowed to spend the night until their concerns had been addressed.

An attempt by the President of the Ghana Registered Nurses Association (GRNA), Mr Kwaku Asante-Krobea, to calm the tempers of the angry nurses was unsuccessful, as the group vowed not to leave until President John Mahama had granted them audience.

After spending close to three hours at the park, a delegation from the Ministries of Employment and Labour Relations, Finance and Health arrived to talk to them.

Government assurance

Mr Iddrisu said efforts were being made to address challenges relating to the posting of the nurses. He explained that their postings had been delayed because the government wanted the financial aspect to be completed before their posting.

For his part, a Deputy Minister of Finance, Mr Cassiel Ato Forson, said financial clearance had been given to ensure that when posted, they would receive their salaries.

He, therefore, advised them to go home and wait for their clearance letters, which he indicated would be issued before the end of the week.

Unposted nurses

Speaking to the Daily Graphic, the President of the group, Mr Geyevo, said they were not satisfied with the response from the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations since “it is not the first time we are hearing this”.

According to him, the leadership of the group had on three occasions met and discussed their concerns with the sector minister but nothing came out from that.

“However, since the directive is coming from Vice-President Amissah-Arthur, we will go but we will return if our clearance letters are not given before the agreed date,” Mr Geyevo said. He said about 5,000 nurses were waiting for their posting letters.