Health Services Workers Union calls for conversion of all casual workers to permanent staff

More than 11,000 workers in Ghana’s health sector continue to be classified as casual workers, despite many having served for over two decades. Their low wages and insecure employment status have come under renewed criticism from Organised Labour, which is demanding urgent government intervention.

At the 81st Annual Workshop of the Health Services Workers’ Union (HSWU) on September 5, General Secretary Franklin Owusu Ansah called on government to immediately address the issue, which he described as a long-standing injustice that undermines worker dignity and effective service delivery.

“The issue of casualisation must stop. We should be able to convert all casual and IGF [Internally Generated Fund] staff to mechanised and permanent workers,” Mr. Owusu Ansah stated.

“Some of our members have worked as casuals for over 25 years. Such precarious work undermines effective planning and worker dignity. We call for the conversion of all casual workers to permanent staff,” he said.

Sources indicate that many of these casual workers earn between GHS 400 and 500 per month — wages that labour experts say violate Ghana’s Labour Act 651, specifically Sections 75 and 76, which require that any worker engaged for more than six months be regularized. The Union also raised alarm over broader challenges in the health sector, including inadequate funding, infrastructure gaps, and a lack of essential equipment — all of which, they say, continue to hinder quality healthcare delivery.

“We call on government to ensure adequate funds are made available and invested into the health sector. This will ensure effective health delivery,” Mr. Owusu Ansah added.

Meanwhile, Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, also emphasized the need to improve conditions of service for health workers.

“Despite workers putting in their best to ensure efficient healthcare delivery, we call on government to consider the welfare of workers as key to enhancing the health sector,” he said.

With pressure mounting from both the HSWU and the TUC, the demand for an end to casualisation in the health sector is gaining momentum. Organised Labour says the time has come for government to uphold labour rights and recognize the contribution of long-serving health workers.

Sources: 3news