Health Accounting Staff Association agitates over delayed negotiations

Members of the Health Accounting Staff Association of Ghana (HASAG) are agitating to embark on an industrial action over their long-stalled negotiations of their conditions of service

According to the association, the negotiations have stalled for over eight months due to the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission’s failure to respond to multiple requests from HASAG to resume negotiations that were first initiated in November 2023.

The leadership of the association is therefore demanding the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to engage HASAG on Monday June 23, 2025, to resume and conclude negotiations, without which the association would activate its options, including embarking on an industrial action

According to HASAG, the key sticking point remains the financial components of the agreement, which were postponed for later discussion during the Standing Negotiating Committee (SNC) meetings last year.

Per Article 13(i) and (ii) of the SNC Rules, such negotiations are mandated to conclude within two months of commencement, with a possible two-week extension if unresolved issues remain. However, HASAG asserts that this timeline has long been breached, despite numerous letters and formal appeals to the Commission.

In its recent letter to FWSC, dated June 18, 2025, HASAG expressed deep frustration with the FWSC’s apparent reluctance to set a firm date for final talks.

“This continued delay runs counter to the principles of good faith negotiations,” said the letter signed by HASAG’s National President, Emmanuel Dennis Kofi Amoah, warning that the unresolved issues are causing “strong agitations and unrest” among its members.

In making the demand for the urgent meeting on Monday, the letter indicted that failure by the FWSC to meet this deadline would leave the Association with no choice but to pursue “lawful steps” under the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), potentially including industrial action.

The Association has also accused the FWSC of deliberate sabotage, claiming the delay is a calculated attempt to “frustrate and dismember” the union. HASAG noted with concern that some members have already defected to the Health Services Workers’ Union (HSWU), which began its negotiations later after that of HASAG, but has since concluded negotiations and enjoying the financial benefits.

The Association consequently reported the delay and the Commission’s unresponsiveness to the National Labour Commission last month after FWSC allegedly ignored several formal requests. In its latest communication, HASAG called on the Commission and relevant ministries, including Finance, Health, and Employment, to intervene urgently to avert disruption in the public health financial management sector.