The National Labour Commission (NLC) has ordered the Komfo Anokye Doctors’ Association (KADA) to immediately call off its newly declared indefinite strike, citing severe procedural breaches under Ghana’s industrial relations legal framework.
The directive was issued on Saturday, 6th June 2026, just 24 hours after KADA leadership announced plans for a full-scale strike across the country’s second-largest teaching hospital over suspension of Chief Executive Officer of KATH, unresolved administrative, and operational grievances.
To resolve the impasse, the NLC has formally summoned both the leadership of the doctors’ association and hospital management to a compulsory arbitration hearing scheduled for Wednesday, 10th June 2026, at 2:00 PM at the Commission’s headquarters in Accra.
Statutory Violations
In an official summons signed by the Acting Executive Secretary of the NLC, Dr Bernice A. Welbeck, the Commission revealed that KADA’s strike notification was improperly served and failed to comply with mandatory statutory timelines and delivery provisions detailed in the country’s prevailing labor laws.
“The Commission, in exercise of its powers under Section 139(d) of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), directs KADA to call off the strike immediately, as the action contravenes Sections 162 and 163 of Act 651,” Dr. Welbeck stated in the directive.
Sections 162 and 163 explicitly regulate dispute settlement procedures for essential service providers, which includes healthcare personnel.
Roots of the Impasse
The underlying dispute stems from a 5th June 2026, correspondence issued by KADA to the Chairman of the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH) Board.
The letter expressed deep membership dissatisfaction with recent operational and administrative decisions executed by the hospital’s management team.
The strike notice was widely copied to key national offices, including the Chief of Staff and the Minister of Health, but bypassed mandatory NLC dispute protocols.
Broad Stakeholder Notification
The urgent intervention of the NLC has been circulated to critical stakeholders across the health sector to ensure widespread compliance and maintain public healthcare stability.
Official copies of the directive have been delivered directly to the Minister of Health, the Director-General of the Ghana Health Service, and the President of the Ghana Medical Association (GMA) to coordinate immediate feedback ahead of Wednesday’s mandatory hearing.