Mortuary workers’ strike hits Ghana; no corpse preservation or burial services

As of today, Thursday, 26 September, Ghanaian families will be unable to access mortuaries to retrieve the remains of deceased loved ones or take corpses to the mortuary for preservation. This development follows the Mortuary Workers Association of Ghana's (MOWAG) declaration of a nationwide, indefinite strike.

The mortuary workers are protesting to demand better conditions of service, accusing the government of neglecting their concerns. MOWAG has highlighted several issues, including inadequate personal protective equipment (PPE), which the workers say puts them at risk of exposure to diseases and other dangers. Furthermore, salary arrears dating back to 2020 remain unpaid, and the union’s plea for financial clearance to hire 500 additional workers has been ignored.

Richard Kofi Jordan, the General Secretary of MOWAG, told Citi News that the workers will not return to work until all their demands are met.

“We are going to strike, and as I speak to you, members have started putting red bands around their gates. Nothing has come to our attention that will change our plans. It is not about coming to have a discussion anymore. We have had a series of discussions on these particular matters before our employer,” Jordan said.

He emphasised that the strike is a result of the government’s failure to act on their previous discussions, noting, “This is about implementation. We are only asking for things that will not even have any impact on the economy. We don’t see anything concrete changing our minds apart from the full implementation of our demands.

Jordan also made it clear that the strike will continue indefinitely, adding, “Our strike is supposed to be definite, and we do not have a timeline for when we will stop unless we see results.”

The strike is expected to have significant implications for families across the country, as access to vital mortuary services is halted until further notice.

At the time of this report, the government has not said anything about this potentially devastating development, and it is unclear if any plans are in the pipeline to address the concerns of the mortuary workers and get them back to work.

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