Deputy Speaker Ahiafor is extremely partisan – Minority

The Minority in Parliament has accused the 1st Deputy Speaker, Bernard Ahiafor, of partisanship for failing to admit their statement that urged the government to be responsible in the matter of the striking nurses.

Ranking member on the Health Committee, Nana Ayiew Afriyie, told journalists after proceedings were adjourned, following disagreement in the house on Tuesday, June 10 that the First Deputy Speaker, rather than admitting their statement, threatened to walk them out of the House.

“He is being extremely partisan, he threatened that he is going to expel me.”

“We say the right of the nurses should not be breached,” he said. The Minority walked out of the House following the accusation of bias against Mr Ahiafor.

They had criticised the government for failing to meet the demands of the striking nurses and midwives.

Earlier, while addressing the press in Parliament on Tuesday, June 11, 2025 Nana Ayew Afriyie said the government must change its posture towards nurses and midwives in the country.

He stressed that the government must show respect to the health workers and address their concerns, describing the court action taken by the National Labour Commission as an action in “bad faith.”

“Even taking them to court is an extreme act of bad faith, you don’t. Everybody is being assertive; you cannot use the law to checkmate them. To state clearly, the posturing of the government must change. Respect them, sit with them, let them know what you can and cannot do.

“Show respect to the nurses and midwives in this country and tell them something better,” the Minority urged.

The Minority called on the government to include the demands of the striking nurses and midwives in the mid-year budget review, or partially fulfil the conditions of services of the GRNMA.

Nana Ayew Afriyie further condemned the politicisation of the strike action, insisting that the same Associationhad  declared an industrial action for three weeks under the erstwhile NPP government.

Meanwhile, President of the GRNMA, Perpetual  Ofori-Ampofo has insisted that the government must make provision in the budget to take care of their conditions of service.

This comes after the government said the demands by nurses and midwives will put the government’s budget in disarray if implemented in its current state.

Speaking in an interview on TV3’s NewsCentral, Tuesday, June 10, she asserted that if provision cannot be made in the budget to cater for their demands, then the government does not value their services as health workers.

“If they are telling us today that there’s no room in the budget to cater for what we deserve as nurses and midwives, then they are telling us that they do not value what we do within the health space.

“You cannot tell us that within the period of June to December, the government is not going to spend. They must make provision in the budget,” she stated.

More than 128,000 nurses and midwives across Ghana on May 28, 2025 declared a nationwide strike action over the government’s continued delay in implementing their new conditions of service, which was agreed in 2024 under the Akufo-Addo government.

The GRNMA has resolved to only resume work if its new conditions of service are implemented. -3news.com