Over 27,000 public sector workers to embark on strike effective July 19
The Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has stated its resolve to embark on an industrial action effective Tuesday, July 19, 2022, over Government’s failure to pay them Cost-of-Living Allowance (COLA).
It said the demand for COLA was necessitated by the high rate of inflation, which had resulted in frequent price hikes affecting the living condition of public sector workers.
The Union, in a statement signed by Mr Bernard Adjei, its General Secretary and copied to the Ghana News Agency, in Accra, said the condition prompted organised labour to petition the President of Ghana to approve the payment of COLA to cushion employees during the 2022 May Day Parade, followed by a formal request on June 24,2022, but received no response.
The release said PSWU, and other unions made a difficult decision to accept a four per cent and seven per cent pay increase for 2021 and 2022, respectively.
“However, considering unfolding events such as relatively high salary increases for ‘Article 77′ and, related office holders and Government expenditure patterns, we are worried that the sacrifices made by organized labour during the last negotiations have been taken for granted.”
It said the situation had been worsened by the Government’s refusal to grant mandate for the negotiation of institution-specific conditions of service for several organisations under the Single Spine.
The statement said over 27,000 workers in PSWU’s over 65 public sector institutions were feeling the economic pressure and that: “It is an obvious situation that a possible return to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) further complicated the economic uncertainties faced by public sector workers and flashes back memories of harsh labour policies that disadvantaged the ordinary worker.”
The statement said a decision to enter an IMF programme, for example, risked returning to a harsh industrial environment rife with conditions such as the sale of critical and well-performing national assets, redundancies, a freeze on employment, and a wage freeze.
It said also, for many workers who had retired under the National Pensions (Amendment) Act,2014 (Act 883), which came into full force on January 1,2020, the disparity in their lump sum payments as compared to those who had retired under PNDCL 247 had not been resolved.
The statement said that had resulted in additional economic burdens for the society’s most vulnerable people, the elderly, despite the President’s unequivocal vows to handle the situation as far back as October 13, 2020.
The statement said at an Emergency Meeting of the Management Committee and representatives from the over 65 institutions that made up the PSWU, the members had decided to embark on an industrial action until the concerns were addressed.
Source: GNA