Health Services Workers Union in Ashanti bares teeth at government

Ashanti Regional branch of the Health Services Workers Union has thrown its weight behind their national union for immediate redress of their working conditions or face their wrath.

The Union says the freeze of the market premium is discriminatory compared to other public servants who earn market premium.

Their unresolved issues include poor working conditions, denial of yearly incremental notches, Salary distortions under Single Spine Salary Structure, wrong placement of medical physicists and non-implementation of national health laboratory policy and few others.

Ashanti Regional Industrial relations Officer, Stephen Mensah addressing the media in Kumasi described the freeze of the market premium as arbitrary and discriminatory.

“With the introduction of Single Spine Salary Structure, market premium was introduced as a percentage of our basic pay to take care of living cost allowance and ADHA. The market premium by convention is to change when salaries are reviewed.

“In our case, the market premium has remained static since 2012,” he stated.

The Health Services Workers Union indicated that without justification, some of their members have been denied yearly incremental notches.

They said some of their members since been migrated unto the Single Spine Salary Structure in 2012 have been deprived of their yearly increment.

Another concern raised by the Union was the wrongful placement of medical physicists.

The Union pointed out that the SSS did not make provisions for these categories of staff and are placed below their training and qualifications.

They have given government a two-week ultimatum to resolve their grievances

“We are entreating the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Finance, Controller and Accountant General and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to immediately address our grievances or we shall speak the language they best understand”