Unpaid nurses: From now until the year ends, let them receive their monthly salary – GRNMA President
The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) has urged government to provide a clear and comprehensive payment schedule for thousands of nurses still owed salary arrears
In an exclusive interview with 3news, President of the GRNMA, Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, expressed deep frustration over what she described as an unfair labour practice.
“These nurses and midwives should be paid their monthly salary,” Ofori-Ampofo stated.
“Let us put in the necessary arrangements to pay their arrears. If their arrears will go into next year, all well and good, but at least from now until the year ends, let them receive their monthly salary.”
Her comments followed a massive protest on Thursday, October 2, where over 6,000 unpaid nurses took to various platforms in Accra to demand the payment of salary arrears that have remained outstanding for between nine and ten months
While the government has reportedly added around 7,000 nurses to the national payroll, approximately 6,500 remain unpaid. Of this number, 3,000 have had their details successfully captured by the Controller and Accountant General’s Department, but the rest are still in limbo.
Madam Ofori-Ampofo warned that continued delays could destabilize the country’s already strained health sector.
“The nursing and midwifery fraternity is bedeviled with a lot of issues,” she said.
“I think it’s about time the government prioritizes our issues and addresses them. It’s not just about these younger colleagues of ours who are not being paid their salaries there are broader challenges affecting all of us.”
She cited ongoing challenges with the implementation of the Collective Agreement, noting that certain agreed allowances have yet to be honored
“We received our uniform allowance in September, but the agreement with the employer was that we would also be paid our book and research allowance, as well as our fuel allowance based on the new rate. That has not happened. We only received the uniform allowance, and we’re still engaging.”
Beyond salary arrears, the GRNMA President also raised alarm over the high number of unemployed trained nurses.
“We have the 2021 to 2024 cohort of nurses and midwives languishing at home waiting for employment,” she said.
“If you put all of them together, they number somewhere around 80,000, all waiting to be employed.”
On the issue of rotation nurses — newly trained nurses undergoing their mandatory national service — Ofori-Ampofo did not mince words.
“We also have rotation nurses — when you take the 2024 and 2025 batches — they finished their internship or rotation and have gone about five months without being paid any rotation money,” she disclosed.
“We duly negotiated for them on the Single Spine pay structure, but that level is not being paid.”
The GRNMA is calling on government to act swiftly to avert further unrest in the health sector. With tensions rising, the Association warns that failure to address these longstanding concerns within the three-week deadline could result in more severe consequences.
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