Court Throws Out Case Against Striking Doctors

A case against striking public sector health doctors has been quashed by an Accra High Court on Tuesday morning. The Coalition of Non-Governmental Organisations in Health (GCNH) dragged the Ghana Medical Association to court for their industry action to be declared illegal, but the court, presided over by Justice Eric Obimpeh, failed to uphold their pray. The coalition�s motion was dismissed on the grounds of technicality. According to Justice Obimpeh, it is the National Labour Commission that has the authority to sue the doctors for embarking on a strike it deems illegal. The court, however, advised the coalition to re-apply if it wishes through the Human Rights Courts. Reacting to the ruling, the legal advisor to the coalition of NGOs in health, James Odartey Mills, said the ruling was disappointing. He, however, told Citi News his outfit has no plans of re-applying through the Human Rights Court, instead will wish the NLC takes up the issue. �If we choose to go to the Human Rights Court, it means once you file your processes and you serve them, they have up to 21 days to bring a response and after that another 21 days for you to bring a reply,� he noted. �By the time you�ll even appear before the judge, I�m sure if you are not careful it will go all the way to March. It was not at all practically useful to come by that approach,� Mills said. The doctors have been striking for about 18 days now demanding the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to migrate them onto the Single Spine Salary Structure, which government contends it has no money in its purse to meet.