The Ministry of Health has appealed to the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers’ Union (MELPWU) to suspend its planned strike as it continues to negotiate on its proposed conditions of service.
On June 3, the MELPWU announced the commencement of a nationwide strike on Monday, June 17, 2024 indicating that the strike will affect services provided by their members in medical laboratories, blood banks, pathology laboratories, and selected mortuary facilities across the country.
According to the union, the decision to embark on the strike action is due to delays by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the Ministry of Finance in concluding negotiations with the union and meeting their demands.
In statement released by the Ministry on Monday, June 17, it noted that it acknowledges all the union’s demands for improved working conditions and is currently ready to address them at the negotiating table.
The statement further revealed that the government’s negotiation team had reached an agreement on most of the items proposed by the union.
“The government negotiations team led by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has had extensive engagements with MELPWU since 2023 and is guided by both internal and external relativities. Majority of the items proposed by MELPWU have been agreed upon by the government negotiations team. However, Uniform, Special Project, Unsociable, and Communication allowances proposed by the Union are still under various stages of negotiation”.
The Ministry is therefore urging the union to be patient with the government’s negotiation team as they work to expedite the process to the proposed demands as soon as possible.
See statement below
