Pay workers cost of living allowance to avoid labour unrest – TEWU

The Teachers and Educational Workers Union of Trade Union Congress, Ghana has appealed to the Government to immediately pay Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA) to cushion workers against price hikes.

“We wish to state that members have reached their limit in the face of the excruciating economic conditions in the country and cannot wait any longer.

“Failure to respond positively to this call, the country’s educational sector stands to suffer and that will have a damming effect on the final years of the Senior High Schools in their preparations towards final examinations,” the Union said.

This was in a press release signed by Mr Mark Dankyira Korankye, the General Secretary, TEWU and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.

“The leadership of TEWU has made frantic appeals to the Government since September 2021, as well as early this year and before the 2022 May Day national celebrations, that the shoot up prices of goods and services, calls for the authorities to pay COLA to workers, to enable them to cope with the challenging economic conditions,” he said.

He said unfortunately, the appeals had not received any positive response, not even an acknowledgement of the Union appeals by the Government, especially the sector Minister for Employment and Labour Relations.

He said at the 2022 National May Day parade in Accra, Mr Anthony Yaw Baah, the Secretary General of TUC Ghana, reiterated the issue of COLA to President Akufo-Addo and his team present, but still, there was silence from the corridors of power.

“As leaders of Public Sector workers, we cannot sit down for our members to be subjected to this treatment of no action from the Government to support them through COLA to deal with the worsening economic situation.

In view of that, he said the Union had resolved that, by the end of June 2022, if no response was heard from the Government, members of TEWU would have no other option than to advise its members to lay down their tools.

“The oil that helps the wheel of the economy to rotate is the workers’ sweat. We, therefore, urge the Government that the earlier it responds positively to this COLA demand, the better it will be for the Country in our education sector.”

That, he stated, would help prevent any turbulence on the labour front, because living conditions were deteriorating by the day.

Source: GNA