Government and Organized Labour are in tag of war salary negotiations for public sector workers.
Government’s proposal for an 18% increment in the base pay of public sector workers was once again rejected by Organised Labour. At a negotiation meeting on Wednesday, Organised Labour maintained that they cannot accept anything less than a 60% increment.
President of the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Isaac Owusu after rejecting the offer said the leadership of the Union will consult with its members to know the way forward.
“We are not representing ourselves, we are representing the larger group of teachers that are working in the country, so the stance of Organised Labour we are bound by it,” he said.
The representative of the Trades Union Congress also insisted that they won’t back down on their demand.
“We’ve been considerate for years and many things have gone wrong, so I think that this is the time to right the wrongs. The Single Spine Salary Structure is the most indecent structure in this country and we think that this is the opportune time to right the wrongs. So we have not been difficult…we are the same people that took the four and seven per cent and so we won’t take anything below 60%,” he added.
But Deputy Employment Minister, Bright Wireko Bobby stated that he is disturbed by the turn of events.
“We have met but labour insists on a figure, so we will go back and reconvene …We have tabled something and labour says that they are unwilling to take it. So it is a clear state of frustration, of course, you do not expect me to be happy when there is this state of affairs,” he said.
Speaking on JoyNews’ PM Express on Tuesday, Deputy General Secretary of TUC, Joshua Ansah stated that they would not agree to the projected figure.
According to Mr Ansah, the government must expect a fight if they insist on paying anything less than 60%.
“There is no way Organised Labour is also going to accept what has been put in the budget. Well, if the government has made up its mind that it is the way it thinks that he can actually force down the throat of workers, then we are in for a big fight because there is no way the government can pay anything below what we are expecting,” he said.
He noted that Organised Labour will not compromise on their demand for a 60% increment in their base pay.
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