Former General Secretary of the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Dr. Justice Yankson has described the government's failure to capture the GRNMA’s negotiated conditions of service in the 2025 national budget, as “baffling.”

Speaking on Joy FM’s Super Morning Show on Wednesday, June 11, Dr. Yankson said, “Compensation is something that cuts across the entirety of the state from the first gentleman of the state to the very last person.”

“It is baffling (therefore) to see that the GRNMA deal was not captured in the budget,” he said.

He explained that the agreement in question was reached between the government and the nurses as far back as 2024, with the clear understanding that its financial provisions would be captured in the 2025 budget.

“Now, in this particular situation, if you listen to the nurses, what they are saying is that, the agreement was signed between the employer and the nurses as far back as 2024. And the understanding was that it was going to be part of the 2025 compensation,” he stated.

Dr Yankson stressed that such agreements do not happen in a vacuum. “The negotiation processes leading to the signing of the agreement involve the workers, the Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Employment, the Ministry of Health, as well as the legally mandated institution of state, the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission. And sometimes when these things are being signed, copies are lodged with the National Labour Commission,” he said.

He said the Ministry of Finance had been actively involved throughout the negotiation process.

“It is a bit baffling when you hear that, for some reason, this particular document was not factored into the 2025 budget. Unlike previous years where the budget may have been read somewhere in November 2024, we had to do that interim one somewhere in December to cover January to March. And then the current administration led by the current Finance Minister had to then come in with the actual budget for the rest of the year,” he said.

Dr Yankson added, “The Ministry of Finance itself okayed all the details, at least based on what I have been privy to in previous negotiations before the signing off happens, and they have copies. The compensation unit of the Ministry of Finance is always actively involved in this. The Ministry of Health itself is technically very much aware because they have their signatures attached to the documents. And Fair Wages is also obliged to pass on all these things to the Ministry of Finance.”

Although he admitted he could not offer a concrete reason why the deal was excluded, he noted the nurses’ frustration was valid.

“So when you hear that for some reason it was not captured, well, it is baffling, but I cannot give explanations as to why. But listening to the nurses, it is clear that they are not happy about that situation,” he said.

According to Dr Yankson, the current focus should be on resolving the issue rather than debating how it happened.

“We’ve moved from the issue of the whole bit not being captured in the budget to a point where we need to find a resolution,” he said.

“This is a legally binding document. If you take our labour laws, it is clear. It is a right that they have earned because they have sat down, negotiated with the employer, and the employer has duly agreed to certain terms.”

He then urged the government to honour its obligations and work with the nurses to implement the deal.

“What we most times seem to forget is that it is not a one-way activity. Part of that document puts some responsibility on the nurses or the workers. Another part also puts some responsibility on the employer,” he said.

“As we speak, before this strike, I’m sure the nurses were discharging their side of the bargain. It is just right that the employer also sits down with them to find the best approach to implementing this document so that we can all move on.”