Lab Workers Union petitions Chief of Staff over “Unjust” hiring discrimination
In a strongly worded petition signed by its General Secretary, Dr. Cephas Kofi Akortor, the union expressed frustration at the continued exclusion of over 3,000 qualified but unemployed laboratory professionals from formal recruitment—despite an ongoing shortage of their services across public health facilities.
The Medical Laboratory Professional Workers Union (MELPWU) has petitioned the Chief of Staff, Julius Debrah, demanding urgent government intervention over what it terms systematic recruitment bias against medical laboratory and allied health professionals in Ghana.
In a strongly worded petition signed by its General Secretary, Dr. Cephas Kofi Akortor, the union expressed frustration at the continued exclusion of over 3,000 qualified but unemployed laboratory professionals from formal recruitment—despite an ongoing shortage of their services across public health facilities.
According to MELPWU, since 2019, successive governments have failed to grant financial clearance for these professionals, leaving many to work under casual arrangements, funded through Internally Generated Funds (IGF) of health institutions. These IGF contracts offer no job security, pension benefits, or equitable pay, the union stated.
The union lamented that while other health professionals such as nurses and doctors continue to benefit from mass recruitment exercises, medical laboratory workers remain sidelined.
“On May 13, 2025, a recruitment circular was issued by the Ministry of Health inviting applications from medical and dental officers—yet again, laboratory professionals were excluded,” the union said.
MELPWU emphasized that this exclusion undermines a vital segment of Ghana’s health system responsible for diagnosis, treatment monitoring, and disease prevention.
The petition also referenced the government’s unfulfilled promise following a nationwide strike in June 2024, where it committed to process financial clearance for over 19,000 allied health workers. Nearly a year later, the union claims, there has been no tangible response or progress.
“The silence has deepened frustration among our members. We are witnessing the rise of a neglected class of health professionals—overworked, underpaid, and exploited,” the union stated.
Efforts to seek redress through dialogue with the Ministry of Health, the Ministry of Finance, and the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission have been unsuccessful, with no feedback received on their most recent letter dated April 7, 2025.
Demands and Warning of Action
MELPWU is now calling for two immediate actions:
Permanent recruitment and financial clearance for all qualified medical laboratory and allied health professionals currently employed under IGF.
A clear and time-bound recruitment framework that ensures fair and regular employment opportunities for laboratory professionals, similar to what is available to other health sector workers.
The union concluded with a warning: failure to act swiftly on these demands will trigger “legitimate industrial action.”
“We are no longer begging for employment. We are demanding fairness, equity, and recognition,” MELPWU declared.
