Commentary, News

Mortuary Workers in Ghana Threaten Strike Over Poor Working Conditions: Why Government Must Act Now

By Charles Neequaye, Journalist

Mortuary workers in Ghana, particularly those in the public sector, have raised the red flag. They have also sounded the alarm bell, indicating that if by Thursday, September 26, 2024, the necessary steps are not taken to address their grievances, they will lay down their tools and withdraw their services across the country.

The mortuary workers are demanding among other things better conditions of service.

They have also emphasized that the strike was a last resort after repeated attempts to resolve those pressing issues of inadequate provision of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), leaving workers exposed to diseases and hazards and even sometimes, death. Additionally, salary arrears dating back to 2020, remain unpaid and the request for financial clearance to employ 500 additional mortuary workers has been ignored by the government.

The workers are also demanding payment of the COVID-19 bonus announced by the President.

Accordingly, the workers have indicated that until those demands are met, members will stay at home and all mortuaries will remain closed. Indeed, the threat by mortuary workers to suspend their services is an issue which should not be taken lightly, because of the health hazards and implications of their actions on the country. Knowing very well about the sensitive nature of their work, it is a fact that not everyone can work as a mortuary staff or attendant, because of what the profession entails and the consequences involved. The normal duties of mortuary assistants and attendants include assisting funeral directors with the embalming of corpses, assisting pathologists with performing autopsies, completing toxicology reports, confirming identification details about the deceased, ensuring the funeral home is clean, as well as following strict guidelines and hygienic processes. The mortuary attendants have essential duties of preparing bodies for postmortem examination, selecting and laying out surgical instruments and supplies. These are functions that some other health workers cannot easily perform since these mortuary workers are trained specifically to handle these in the health care delivery process. Apart from these duties, mortuary assistants and attendants are able to withstand the stench that emanates from unclaimed corpses, due to the failure of families to go for the bodies of their deceased relatives and in some cases through accidents, that results in the mutilation of bodies.

These and many other challenges, make the duties of mortuary workers more tedious and difficult. Looking at all these factors and the exigencies of the work, it is crucial, that subsequent governments, pay attention to these category of workers by making sure, that they are well catered for in terms of remuneration and allowances, by providing them with protective gears to safeguard their lives, more so, when they are handling corpses associated with infectious and other terminal diseases. Issues regarding mortuary workers should be handled with dispatch, so as not to create any room for them to lay down their tools.

If government functionaries should visit our mortuaries and see how mortuary assistants handle corpses in their embalmment processes and the stress involved, nothing will stop them from providing the needs of these categories of workers. No wonder the General Secretary of MOWAG, Kofi Jordan, said their members are dying in droves.

Therefore, the figure recorded in just one year should send a signal to the government and all stakeholders, that their demands need to be tackled holistically and urgently. It is unfortunate, that in all the various manifestos of political parties aspiring to lead the nation, nothing specific has been said about mortuary workers. One may ask whether it is because none of them consider or regard them in the health care process? That is so depressing, unacceptable and worrying as far as health delivery is concerned. The political campaigns can go on alright, but attention should also be on mortuary workers to build their capacity and confidence and for them, their families and the nation not to suffer unduly when they embark on a strike.