<<Print>>

Mr Reynolds O. Tenkorang, General Secretary of Health Services Workers Union (HSWU), has said there is a  tension growing among its membership due to government’s non-implementation of their maiden Collective Agreement.

He said though they have had several assurances from the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, and the Deputy Minister for Health, till date they have not heard anything though the Collective Agreement was to take effect from January 1, 2016.

The Union concluded its maiden Collective Agreement between the HSWU and Health agencies and the facilities under the Ministry of Health in December 2015.

Mr Tenkorang, who said this at a press conference to commemorate this year’ HSWU Union’s Week, announced that the Health Sector Occupational Pension Scheme, has been reinstituted to include government representatives as agreed by the parties.

He called on managers of health institutions to establish Hospital House Management Committees which would include “our members as required by Section 31 of the Ghana health Service and Teaching Hospital Act, 1996 (Act 525) to enhance collective decision making and team work”.

The General Secretary said the National Pension Regulatory Authority has also renewed the license and “what remains outstanding is Government’s transfer of the first five per cent of our members’ monthly contribution and the amounts still lodged in the Temporary Pension Fund Account at the Bank of Ghana”.

“We want to assure our members that we will ensure that every pesewa due them from February 2010 when the three tier pension scheme started is accounted for and paid into the above scheme for investment,” he said.

On Training, Mr Tenkorang said, very soon the Union would roll out the ‘training of trainer’s programmes’ to sensitise the rank and file members and to keep them abreast with the plans and activities.

“Our Union in collaboration with Trades Union Congress-Ghana, Akrowa Elderly Care Foundation-Ghana, LO/FTF and FOA from Denmark have commenced a project that would strengthen the Union’s capacity to organise and bargain for workers caring for the elderly in the country.

The project, he said, started this year and would end in 2018.

He called on all members to continue to rally behind the new leadership so as to forge in unity to sustain the growth and vibrancy of the Union.

Every September 5 is set aside as HSWU week to provide a platform to showcase the Union’s achievements in contributing to quality and effective healthcare delivery in Ghana.