The dead in trouble as Mortuary men embark on strike

Mortuary workers in Ghana have taken action by embarking on an indefinite strike. This is the second time in the year in an attempt to push for increment in salaries and better conditions of service.

The workers have called on the government from the beginning of the year to do something about their salary but their plea seems to fall on death ears.

They accuse the government of not fulfilling its promises made to them to help tackle the issues they tabled which include poor salaries, lack of personal protective equipment and poor working environment among others in the various mortuaries in government hospitals.

Mortuary workers vacated post at the Komfo Anokye Teaching morgue Wednesday, May 29 to show authorities their importance. This compelled the hospital to stop accepting new corpses since there were no workers to handle them. The workers have also hanged Red bands hanged at the main entrance of the morgue to inform the general public of their action.

In an interview, Ebenezer Asirifi, the Ashanti Regional Chairman of the Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana informed 3news.com that members will only come back to work when their demands are met by the Ministry of Health meets their demands.

He lamented that they are compelled to handle the bodies without the needed protective clothing and other essential supplies hence risking their lives for peanuts.

He added that when they suspended the strike in March to “negotiate” with the Ministry of Health and the FWSC they are only tossed and asked to come later and all that. They feel the government is not committed to dealing with their demands hence the current situation.

“This time we are not going to call off the strike until everything is done and it is written, apart from that we won’t call the strike off,” Mr Asiri insisted.