The Health Services Workers Union(HSWU) are prepared to withdraw all emergency services at public hospitals to compel government to pay their tier two pension contributions, the acting General Secretary of the Union, Reynolds Tekorang has said.
Twelve labour unions including the HSWU are on an indefinite strike to protest government’s failure to pay public service workers, their tier two pension funds into a private account.
Even though the strike started last week, the health workers are still attending to emergency cases to mitigate the full impact of the strike.
The decision has forced government to resort to the court to”seek interpretation” of the Pensions Act.
[contextly_sidebar id=”aYPCloOCdyUp94Rds2M1Rbo8Py6a2WMn”]But speaking to Citi News, Mr. Tenkorang said the group is unfazed about government’s decision to sue them over their action.
“ We are not perturbed at all. I have over 800,000 workers behind me and I am not afraid. We have told the Ministry of Health that if he doesn’t use his good office to advise the government to give us what we are demanding we will even escalate the strike. We said emergency services should be provided in the hospitals but if our demands are not met, we will ask all our members who are providing services to stop working.
Mr. Tekorang added that the various groups will continue to demand for their pension contributions.
“We are ready to fight to the end until what belongs to us as workers, we receive it. The money is for us and we will not allow government to tell us which bank the monies should be sent to. We have the right to social protection and government cannot force us to accept what does not belong to them,”he maintained.
Meanwhile the National Labour Commission has said it may decline jurisdiction on the matter brought before it by government against the striking labour unions.
By: Marian Efe Ansah/citifmonline.com/Ghana