Just when it seemed that some progress was being made on the negotiation front, government has announced they have pulled out of negotiations with the striking doctors.

According to Labour and Employment Minister Haruna Iddrisu, the government would only resume negotiations when the doctors go back to work.

He was speaking on Accra based Joy Fm.

“Government will continue negotiations with the GMA only if they call off their strike action and come back to the negotiation table for us to dialogue further on putting closure to the whole subject of getting them a codified condition of service.

“But so long as they remain on strike, boycotting work whether partial or full and not resigning puts us in a difficulty in continuing negotiations” he added.

But the Ghana Medical Association also says they would only return to work after they have signed a codified conditions of service document. Its General Secretary, Dr Frank Serebour, said the strike would continue until they have the conditions of service, since that is the whole reason they went on strike in the first place.

“The decision for us to go on strike was not taken by any individual; it was taken by the General Assembly. As we speak we don’t have any scheduled meeting so as and when it becomes necessary and we meet with our membership we will forward the fact that government says they are not going to negotiate unless we call off the strike.

“As we speak the General Assembly is saying that they will continue with the strike because there is a conditional clause attached to it and that is until we sign we sign a negotiated conditions of service we will strike”.

“So if the government is not going to negotiate with us that means we will never have the conditions of service and that means that the strike will continue”, he said.

Here’s a real Mexican stand-off, and in the meantime innocent Ghanaians continue to die.