The leadership of the Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG) is scheduled to meet with the National Labour Commission (NLC) on December 6th to address long-overdue payment issues.
This meeting comes in the wake of a recent discussion with the NLC on November 29, 2023, aimed at resolving concerns related to the workers’ conditions of service, including low wages, poor working conditions, and a lack of personal protective equipment (PPE).
Speaking with Citi News on Wednesday, the General Secretary of MOWAG, Richard Kofi Jordan, stressed the need for the government to fulfil its obligations regarding payment matters before Wednesday.
“The commission has heard that, look, this is true because this is not the first time they claim they are supposed to do something and they don’t. So, give us a timeline, and we were all given one week to come back next Wednesday at the same time, 11 am. The ministry is going to give us a timeline as to when payment will be done fully.”
He continued, “Even as I speak to you, Cape Coast City Hospital has paid their workers; they have received the money and some other facilities we are hearing. We pray that they do the needful and pay everybody before Wednesday so that Wednesday would be the day when they shall tell us when to pay fully all the money owed to us. We are expecting that payment, as they have said, should be done rapidly. Let everybody have what they are owed, even if it is too small, so that everybody would be happy during Christmas.”
The Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana has been embroiled in a prolonged dispute with the government, advocating for better wages, improved working conditions, and enhanced personal protective equipment (PPE).
MOWAG had earlier announced an industrial action, but the strike was called off after a meeting with the NLC.