President Nana Addo Akufo-Addo has claimed that under his presidency, industrial peace, that is when employees don’t engage in strikes and other agitations, has been the best Ghana has seen.
Speaking on Wednesday, 18 May 2022, when a delegation from the Bono Regional House of Chiefs to the Jubilee House visited him at the Jubilee House, the president said the many strikes during his six-year presidency were inevitable.
“I don’t know which period in our history has enjoyed industrial peace like under my presidency. Yes, there have been worker agitations but those are inevitable. A careful look, however, shows that overall, industrial peace in Ghana under the period of my presidency has been unmatched,” Akufo-Addo praised his achievements. He did not back this statement with data.
According to a report by Class News, the president also said Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, has been instrumental in the industrial peace Ghana has enjoyed under his administration.
“It has largely been possible because of the minister responsible for employment and labour relations, who is ‘your royal’ from the Bono Region,” he said.
The president’s comments come amid a recent decision by Members of the Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG), to return to work after a three-week strike.
CLOSSAG called off the strike on Monday, May 16, 2022, after getting the government to agree to pay them a 20% “political neutrality” allowance.
The strike began on April 21, 2022, and brought the business of government Ministries, Departments and Agencies to a halt.
Executive Secretary of CLOGSAG, Isaac Bampoe, said when the public workers were resuming work that they may start another industrial action if the government fails to fulfil its part of the bargain.
“We expect all our members to go to work… We must get it very clear. This is a game and we are at halftime. They are going to their drawing board to strategize and we are also doing the same. We won’t give our game plan out. People can make all the noise but we the technical people will keep to our game plan,” he said.
