Labour Minister Dr. Rashid Pelpuo is calling on the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) to reconsider their ongoing nationwide strike.

The Wa Central MP urged them to recognise that the current leadership represents a new administration that deserves a chance to engage.

“Well, we are more than shocked. We are disturbed. We are worried that they could go into a decision of a strike without much talk with us,” Dr. Pelpuo said on PM Express.

“Because I believe very strongly that if they started what they said they started a year ago or two years ago, this is a new administration.”

Read also: Nurses’ strike continues as Health Ministry fails to reach agreement with GRNMA

The Minister said he believes the government is committed to rebuilding confidence and trust with labour groups, including nurses and midwives.

“We are doing everything we can to ensure we have a stable economy. We have a stable society. We work with workers to get their full support for how we can run this country,” he stated.

The nurses began their strike on Monday, following a breakdown in negotiations with the Ministry of Health.

At the heart of the standoff is the government’s request to postpone implementation of the new conditions of service until 2026, a demand the GRNMA has outrightly rejected.

Dr. Pelpuo revealed that he was not given the opportunity to meet the association ahead of the industrial action.

“I had a chat with the president of the Nurses and Midwives Association, and I was complaining that they did not have the chance, the opportunity. They did not create the opportunity for me to have an interaction with them before the strike,” he said.

He added that such prior engagement could have led to a different outcome.

“I informed her that I wish we had had some conversation after she had had those kinds of conversations with other sector ministers or other stakeholders.”

Though the strike remains unresolved, the Labour Minister is calling for reflection and restraint from the GRNMA.

Dr Rashid Pelpuo said government is willing to talk, and the doors remain open.