Mortuary workers in the country are threatening to embark on an industrial strike over poor conditions of service.
General Secretary of the Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana (MOWAG), Richard Kofi Jordan said working conditions are so terrible that sometimes the same hand gloves have to be used for several days before new ones are provided them.
He said their decision comes on the back of neglect by the Ministry of Health.
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Many of the Mortuary Workers he noted are denied their annual leave in violation of section 20 of Act 651.
“Most Mortuary Workers work more than the required 8 hours including Saturdays and Sundays in violation of section 33 of Act 651” he said on Accra based Okay FM monitored by Adomonline.com.
Mr. Jordan indicated that, most of them have been employed as casual and temporary workers in violation of section 74 and 75 of Act 651, which does not guarantee job security especially in the environment in which they work.
In terms of remuneration, he stated that mortuary workers are not recognized in the sector and are the least paid on the salary structure of Ministry of Health.
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“Many of the mortuary facilities are understaffed, no maintenance which compromises on health and safety rules of the sector making the workers unnecessary to suffer in silence.
“In terms of our Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), some have to struggle to get them to use making the working conditions at some facilities undesirable” he noted.
Richard Jordan said it is therefore surprising that the Ministry of Health does not see these as an infringements on the rights of the Ghanaian mortuary worker.
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Hence their resort to an industrial action starting from Tuesday, 20th November 2018.
The workers say they are withdrawing all services until all their concerns are addressed by the Ministry of Health.