The General Secretary of the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers' Union (MELPWU) has expressed concern over the delay by the Finance Ministry in granting the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) the financial mandate necessary to meet its demands.

The group announced a strike on June 17 over the lack of conditions of service for its members, despite nearly two years of negotiations with the Commission. The Union deemed the last meeting on May 31, 2024, as “disappointing.”

Patients visiting some public health facilities for lab services have been left stranded due to the strike, as some are forced to pay for higher costs of lab services at private facilities.

During an interview on Joy FM’s Newsnight on Wednesday, June 19, Cephas Kofi Akortor said although the Union was aware of the inconvenience the strike has caused, the MELPWU has yet to call it off because government appears unwilling to negotiate.

He clarified that the FWSC communicated its inability to negotiate because it had not received a mandate from the Finance Ministry.

“Fair Wages and Salaries Commission told us at the Labour Commission that they need a financial mandate to negotiate and that mandate comes from the Ministry of Finance.

"What is delaying the Ministry of Finance from giving the mandate to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission?” he questioned.

Read also: Fair Wages is not being fair to us – Striking lab workers claim

Mr Akortor criticised the FWSC for not engaging with the Union and blamed both the FWSC and the Ministry of Health for the prolonged strike due to their lack of initiative in commencing negotiations.

He explained that the union has made efforts to facilitate negotiations by arranging and paying for a venue, but the government representatives failed to attend.

"As a union, we arranged for a venue, paid for it, and requested the employer to come for us to negotiate. They failed to show up …Up till now, the employer which is the Ministry of Health has also not called for negotiation but they care more about the kind of story they put across the media to deceive the public,” he stated.

He accused the FWSC and the Ministry of Health of intentionally delaying the negotiation process and being more focused on managing public perception rather than resolving the dispute.

Despite these frustrations, Akortor emphasised that the Union is open to negotiations and is not rigidly insisting on all their demands being met before ending the strike.

He, therefore, urged the relevant authorities to engage in meaningful dialogue.