Organized labour groups in the country are concerned about the erosion of their salaries as a result of the country’s current difficult economic situation.
According to the unions, the government’s failure to maintain economic stability places the average Ghanaian employee in a tough situation considering their meagre salary.
They stressed that workers remain impoverished as the economy continues to hurt, leaving them with little choice but to live in abject poverty.
The Trades Union Congress for instance says the fate of employees is still up in the air because the rising cost of living makes them poorer by the day.
“Our incomes are low and are falling in real terms. The minimum wage is not worth giving to a worker given the prevailing cost of living. The unequal income we have in this country is an extreme inequality leading to people receiving pensions of less than GHS 300 a month. These have to be addressed if we properly want to put this country on a sound footing and road to development.”
“You can’t have workers paid this poorly and expect them to deliver. The government must recognize the difficulties Ghanaian workers are facing”, says the TUC’s Director of Labour and Research and Policy Institute, Dr. Kwabena Nyarko Otoo.
Speaking on the Point of View on Citi TV, Dr. Otoo suggested that government must show its preparedness in the burden sharing.
“Government must work things out with Ghanaians such that even as it asks us to sacrifice, it is also doing the things that everyone will manifestly see that government is also sacrificing. We want to see concrete action on the reduction of government size and an attempt to see the government set the economy to rebound”, he added.
On the same programme, Abraham Koomson, General Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Labour expressed similar sentiments.
“How does the government impose so many taxes on businesses and keeps increasing the levels? It is killing the industries. My fear is that members will lose their jobs. Government must reduce its size and cut down on its expenditure. It must focus on leakages, corruption, and criminality.”
“Allowances and other income increases have all been eroded. Why is government saying there is no money when we have seen all the loopholes? We have to find the problems and address them”, Abraham Koomson opined.
