The National Association of Registered Midwives, Ghana (NARM-GH), says it will keep pursuing a separate salary structure, allowances and conditions of service for midwives, after a High Court in Accra declined to cite the National Labour Commission (NLC) and the Chief Labour Officer for contempt over the withdrawal of its bargaining certificate.
The association said the ruling, delivered on Thursday, October 15, 2026, is a step in an ongoing legal process and not the end of its campaign. It is awaiting the full written judgment.
NARM-GH stated that legal team initiated the contempt proceedings earlier in 2026. They involved the NLC and the Chief Labour Officer, with the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA) also a party to the matter.
On October 15, the Court declined to cite the parties for contempt. The association said that once it receives the certified judgment and reviews it with its lawyers, its leadership will assess the options available to it.
The case goes back to 2016, when NARM-GH acquired a bargaining certificate on behalf of all midwives in Ghana. Its aim was to place midwives on a salary scale that reflects their job descriptions, responsibilities and the unique challenges of their work.
Certificate Withdrawn in 2022
GRNMA challenged the certificate on the ground that nurses and midwives belong to the same class of workers. On that argument, they should remain on the same salary level and bargain with the same certificate. NARM-GH disagreed, maintaining that midwifery is a unique profession with distinct responsibilities and demands that deserve separate bargaining.
The High Court in Accra later ruled in favour of NARM-GH. It recognised nurses and midwives as different classes of workers, affirmed the unique nature of midwifery and supported the preservation of the certificate NARM-GH had obtained.
NARM-GH says the certificate nonetheless continued to face challenges, and that those challenges contributed to its withdrawal by the NLC in 2022. In the association’s account, the NLC acted without a court of competent jurisdiction first setting aside the earlier judgment.
NARM-GH considers the withdrawal legally questionable and contrary to the subsisting court decision. That position underpinned the contempt proceedings, which asked the Court to hold the parties accountable for acting against its judgment.
“This ruling is a step in an ongoing legal process; it does not mark the end of our collective pursuit of fairness, professional recognition, and improved conditions of service.”
NARM-GH
Pay and Allowances at Stake
The association acknowledged that the outcome may disappoint many midwives, particularly those who have long hoped for a review of their salary structure, allowances and other remuneration to reflect the nature of their profession.
NARM-GH said the current arrangement under the Nurses’ Bargaining Certificate has not, in its view, adequately addressed those concerns. It argues that the distinct responsibilities and demands of midwifery justify a salary structure and allowances of their own.
The position is consistent with what the association’s President, Letitia Asaba Atiah, said in June 2025, when she told TV3 that NARM-GH lacked an independent bargaining certificate and that GRNMA had been negotiating on its behalf. “Nurses should not bargain for midwives,” she said, according to GhanaWeb. She added that the association wanted to negotiate.
A Call for Calm and Unity
NARM-GH urged all midwives to remain calm, resolute and united. It appealed to members and non-members alike to recognise the significance of the matter and to support the association’s efforts to protect the collective interests of every midwife in the country.
The association said it remains committed to safeguarding the rights, interests and welfare of midwives through every lawful and legitimate avenue.
“This struggle goes beyond individual interests or Association membership. It concerns the professional future, dignity, recognition and welfare of every midwife in Ghana.”
NARM-GH
The association linked that message to the work midwives do. It thanked them for their loyalty, resilience and dedication to maternal and child healthcare, and said their sacrifices for the health of mothers, newborns, families and communities are deeply valued.
Attention now turns to the full written judgment. NARM-GH says its legal team will review it, after which the leadership will decide its next course of action. The association says it will communicate further updates and directives to members once that review is complete, as it continues to press for the salary structure and conditions of service it believes midwives deserve.
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