Meteo Staff Suspend Strike Over Poor Conditions Of Service

The Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) of the Trades Union Congress, Ghana Meteorological (GMet) Division has suspended its nationwide strike.

This follows a meeting between the union, the Ministry of Communications, and management of the Ghana Meteorological Agency over concerns raised by the union.

“At the meeting both parties agreed on a roadmap to guide in resolving all issues related to the petition within a shortest possible time. The issues were grouped into two. Issues that have been negotiated on and needed implementation and issues that had to do with negotiations with Labour and Employment Ministry. Issues that could be dealt with by management of the Agency have to be addressed latest by Friday, February 25, 2022.

“On the second issue, a meeting has been sheduled February 21 between GMet Divisional Union of PSWU on one hand and Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and Fair Wages and Salary Commission on other hand for negotiations to commence.

“It is our hope that the roadmap agreed to by the parties which was an important condition for the suspension of the strike action will be strictly followed by Government side of the negotiations,” a statement announcing the suspension of the strike by the PSWU stated.

The workers’ union at the Agency on Thursday, February 17, 2022, asked all its members nationwide to lay down their tools to demand better conditions of service.

It cited the non-payment of certain allowances and poor infrastructure, among others, as the reasons for its strike.

The Ghana Meteorological Agency is responsible for providing information on weather situations on a daily basis.

It also keeps a meteorological watch over the Flight Information Region (FIR) for the Ghana Civil Aviation Authority.

The weather information provided by the agency is also used in a number of sectors including agriculture, industry, civil engineering, forestry, management of dams, tourism, among others.

BY Vincent Kubi