Report by Ben LARYEA
The leadership of the various teacher unions have expressed their disgust and worry about the present economic hardship on Ghanaians across the country particularly teachers in their working endeavour.
According to the union, it is against this backdrop that they boycotted the 2 day labour conference currently taking place in the Eastern Region organised by the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations at the time when the current economic down turn and hardship having a huge toll on the Ghanaian worker.;
Speaking at news conference in Accra, the President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Mr. Angel Carbonu said the labour conference is needless and waste of resources at the time government have refused to critically and dispassionately address its huge expenditure on operations.
According to the unions, workers’ agitation cannot end when they are the first victims of the current economic mess and hardships pointing out that workers cannot guarantee a peaceful labour environment when their salaries cannot take them home.
“The answer to the country’s challenges is not holding labour conferences but finding immediate answers to the hard hitting economic challenges and situations”, he charged.
“The unions have outlined as follows that on the 1st of January, 2021, 1 USD was 5,8 Ghana cedis but today, the Dollar is selling at 7.5, a depreciation of 20.7% as on the 1st of January, 2021, 1 USD was 5.8 Ghana cedis. Today, the Dollar is 7.5, a depreciation of 20.7%,” he stated indicating that Ghanaians need to remind all that a lot of goods and services in this country are priced indexed in the US dollar. In other words, when the cedi depreciates the prices of a lot of goods and services go up.
The incessant and interminable increase in the price of fuel have pushed the cost of transportation for both private and commercial upwards and explained that last year by this time, a bag of cement was GH40.00 today a bag of cement is GH52.00, GH12.00 more, 30.5%.
He noted that the cost of rent and accommodation are on the rise and have become a huge burden to the Ghanaian worker, yet we don’t have any comprehensive housing scheme to support the low-income level of workers in this country as government has reneged on the payment of its statutory obligations such as the payment of Public Sector Tier Two (2) deductions to the various schemes for investment. In the case of the Tier Two (2), the transfer of contributions have been in arrears as far back as September, 2021. This means that from September, 2021, these monies in the custody of the Government are not attracting any investment returns for the workers.
“Dues deducted on behalf of the unions is also in arrears and the situation is adversely affecting the management and the administration of the unions”, he added, saying the realities have become the summary realities of the Ghanaian worker and we would have expected that even without prompting from the leadership of the workers.
He however challenged government to initiate concrete moves and call on labour unions to quickly call for the convening of a new salary negotiating team to come out with new and realistic salary levels to be commensurate with the current economic realities.
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