Mortuary Workers Call off Strike

By Justice Dzido On Jun 7, 2019

The Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG) has called off its industrial strike.

The workers have been on strike over low wages and poor conditions of service.

The Association said the “overwhelming and desperate” pleas of Ghanaians, among others led to the call off.

“The MOWAG had earlier on, on four(4) occasions, called off, threatened strikes – all to show its goodwill. This call off has been necessitated by the following circumstances: The overwhelming and desperate pleas of the Ghanaian general public to the MOWAG to this special work, for obvious reasons,” the statement said.

Effect of strike

The mortuary workers’ strike created discomfort for families seeking bodies for burial.

At the Korle Bu Teaching Hospital mortuary, people who came to retrieve the bodies of their loved ones were turned away.

Below is the full content of the press release;

The National Executive Committee (NEC) of the Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG), at it Emergency Meeting on June 4, 2019, has once again decided to call off its industrial strike, declared on 29th May 2019. The MOWAG had earlier on, on four(4) occasions, called off, threatened strikes – all to show its goodwill. This call off has been necessitated by the following circumstances:

The overwhelming and desperate pleas of the Ghanaian general public to the MOWAG to this special work, for obvious reasons.
Upon further reflection on the creeping and obvious multiple disastrous health implications.

The NEC further states that though the Ministry of Health and Fair Wage and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has so far not shown much commitment to addressing their problems, the MOWAG is once more showing leadership and goodwill by calling off this strike.

The MOWAG has also gone ahead to reduce most of its demands so as to further facilitate negotiation.

The NEC is, thus calling off the strike, ready as usual, to enter into negotiation to put a definitive end to this desperate effort to have its really bad working condition and environment improved.