The Union of Trainee Nurses and Midwives, Ghana (UTNMG) has threatened to vote against the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) in the pending December 7, 2024, general elections.
The trainees accuse the NPP government of “economic injustice” and “betrayal of trust” for failing to pay their trainee allowances (allawa) as they promised.
In a statement signed by the President of the UTNMG, Ghana, Agbeti Robert Immortal, the trainee nurses and midwives threatened to vote against the government in the upcoming polls, myjoyonline.com reports.
“The government has demonstrated their consistent failed promises to pay the allowance and that won’t be accommodated this time.
“Trainees will hold politicians accountable, and the outcome of this year’s election will reflect the government’s neglect of their welfare,” parts of the statement are quoted.
The trainees indicated that while the government promises to maintain and ensure consistent payment of their ‘allawa’, the reality on the ground says something different.
They also expressed concern about what they described as the lack of “commitment to fairness and equity” on the side of the government in the payment of the trainee allowance to other sectors, including teachers.
The nurses and midwives said there is a huge disparity in the payment of the ‘allawa’ to teacher trainees and their counterparts in the health sector.
“Another striking event in June 2024, the government released GHC219 million to 104,000 Trainee Nurses and Midwives, while GHC216 million was released to 67,000 Teacher Trainees who have several supports from the government, such as absorption of their feeding fees, student loans, and flexible fee payment policy.”
They also said that the delay in the payment of their allowances had plunged them into financial hardship, making it difficult to foot their academic and personal bills.
BAI/OGB
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