Suit against doctors’ strike adjourned

                                           
The writ against the ongoing strike by medical doctors has been adjourned to August 26, 2015 by an Accra Fast Track High court.

The Ghana Medical Association has been on strike for about two weeks now after their negotiations on conditions of service with government hit a deadlock.

Listowell Nana Kusi-Poku, General Secretary of the United Front Party who took the case to court describes the industrial action by doctors as “illegal” and is therefore praying the High Court “compel the defendant to go back to the negotiation table” since they provide essential services.

According Kusi-Poku, the conduct of the GMA is “quite disturbing in view of the crucial role medical doctors play in any nation’s life and wondered if a strike action should not be the last resort especially since it had not heard of any negotiations between the Government or its representatives which had broken down preceding the announcement that the defendant was embarking on a strike action.”

President John Mahama has said that it is wrong for doctors to embark on strike stating that the action by the doctors is illegal.

"The labour law states that nobody must negotiate under duress. Even before negotiations begun they declared strike. We're paying doctors their salaries and allowances as negotiated on single spine. This is about conditions of service," the president stated an interview with national broadcaster Uniiq FM in Accra Wednesday.