HWG on Wednesday declared an indefinite strike action to protest the new salary structure for the Health Service saying it was demanding equity and fairness in bridging the salary gap between doctors and other health professionals.

The Health Workers, who wore red bands, said they would not go back to work until the discrepancies in their salary structure were rectified in addition to the full payment of their Additional Duty Hour Allowances, which had been in arrears since January 2006. The announcement comes against the background of a crippling strike by doctors in Accra and Kumasi to press demands for payment of their new salaries.

Mr Raymond Tetteh, Chairman of the Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association (GHOSPA), announced at a press conference in Accra that members of the HWG felt cheated after the Government's failure to honour its side of an agreement to implement a new salary structure starting from January 2006.

He said the current structure could not be accepted since it did not only create a yawning gap between doctors and other health professionals, but had worsened the situation of some health workers, whose salaries had been slashed.

Members of the HWG include the Association of Health Services Administrators, Ghana; Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association; Health Accounting Staff Association of Ghana and Health Services Workers Union of Ghana.

Others are the Ghana Registered Nurses Association of Ghana; Ghana Federation of Allied Health Professions; Ghana Medical Assistants Association and Ghana Association of Nurses Anaesthetists.

Mr Tetteh said HWG members were surprised to note that the new salary structure being used for the mapping exercise was not different from the one that was the cause of the deadlock during earlier negotiations with a Negotiation Committee after a job evaluation exercise.

He said in the circumstances, the HWG were unable to continue with their services in the public health sector until further notice.

"It is sad to note that while the public is sympathizing with one group because they had not been paid, we also want to state that from January 2006 to date, allowances of the other health workers have also not been paid and yet we have remained at post and kept faith with the process."

Mr Tetteh explained that the Ministry of Health in 2005 felt the need to consolidate the ADHA and basic salaries of health workers, as a measure under the Health Sector Reforms, to help to settle the numerous problems associated with salaries and, therefore, employed the services of a Consultant for a job evaluation exercise.

He said the agreed basis for the pay system after the evaluation exercise was the principle of equal pay for equal value of work, which was accepted by the HWG, the Consultants and Employers and upheld and accepted for hearing by the National Labour Commission (NLC). He said the NLC noted the wide gap between the doctors and the other groups of health sector employees and directed that future salary negotiations between the Ghana Health Service and Teaching Hospital Staff should work to bridge the gap.

He stated that the bone of contention was the term "future" and called for the immediate bridging of the gap.