Psychiatric nurses to be paid salary arrears today

Striking psychiatric nurses at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital are to be paid all outstanding salary arrears from Tuesday.

It follows the disbursement of funds Monday evening by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department.

The President of the Ghana Registered Nurses Association, Dr.Kwaku Asante Krobea, who revealed this on TV3’s news @ 10 on Monday night, said preparations are underway to pay the salary arrears of the about 7000 nurses and midwives who are also on strike.

Nurses at the Accra Psychiatric Hospital on October 1 embarked on an indefinite strike over what they say was government’s failure to pay them their salary arrears.

On August 3 the nurses declared a sit down strike to demand that their employer pay them all outstanding salaries but an intervention by the Employment and Labour Relations Minister, Haruna Iddrisu ensured the nurses returned to work after they were promised to be paid in two months.

But that was not fulfilled prompting them to declare the recent strike.

Speaking on the issue on TV3, Dr Krobea said after several meetings with the psychiatric nurses at the weekend and later with the Health Ministry, the Labour Relations Ministry and the Controller, funds were moved to pay the nurses who are owed in arrears of almost two years.

“At the time that we were leaving around 4 o’clock this evening [Monday], Controller had moved funds to the psychiatric hospital so they can take their deferred payment either tomorrow [Tuesday] or Wednesday,” he said.

“…. That of the psychiatric nurses will be taken at the table. Funds have been moved already…we were witnesses to the arrangement and so let me say that we are done with the Accra Psychiatric nurses and midwives”

On moves to pay the about 7000 nurses and midwives who are owed arrears for three years, Dr Krobea said: “Business has been done in this regard and they are also going to get paid” but pointed out that it will be at the end of the month.

He explained that considering the situation at hand, “it’s not possible to pay the coalition [the 700 nurses and midwives] within the next two weeks” because it is going to be part of their salaries at the end of the month.

He rebutted claims that they have lost the confidence of the nurses, noting that the association has played an instrumental role in ensuring that the nurses are paid all their outstanding arrears.

The about 7000 nurses and midwives who work in the country’s regional and major hospitals across the country, started the strike on Monday after persistent efforts at getting their employer to pay them their outstanding salaries failed.

By Stephen Kwabena Effah/tv3network.com/Ghana

]]>