Labour Minister Dr Rashid Pelpuo says government is shocked and worried by the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association’s (GRNMA) decision to embark on a nationwide strike without prior engagement with his office.

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

“For a moment, you hear nurses are going on strike.”

The Wa Central MP said the strike, which has disrupted public healthcare services across the country, came without adequate effort from GRNMA leadership to consult his outfit.

“I had a chat with the president of the nurses and midwives association,” Dr Pelpuo revealed.

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

“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.”

The nurses and midwives are protesting a government request to postpone implementation of their negotiated conditions of service until 2026—a proposal the GRNMA has flatly rejected.

The Labour Minister, however, believes the association acted too hastily, especially given the current economic conditions and efforts to engage with organised labour across the board.

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

“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.”

Dr Pelpuo said the strike undermines those efforts.

“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.”

Despite the impasse, the Minister indicated that government remains open to further dialogue and a peaceful resolution. But he insisted that proper engagement is the only path forward.