As Ghana battles to negotiate with the International Monetary Fund for bailout, labor unions are also battling government for financial cushioning. The government after a long resistance have finally turned to the IMF for help but this hasn’t deterred labor unions from also agitating. It started with the Teacher Unions who demanded for 20% of Cost of Living Allowance COLA. The teacher argue that they are getting less for all the work they do.
It’s almost a week since over 350,000 teachers withdrew their services and now other public sector workers like doctors, nurses and midwives are also calling for an increase in salaries. The Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwifery Association and the Medical Associations have all caused for an increase. Other unions are expected to join.
On Joy News’ The Probe tonight, Sunday, July 10, 2022, David Tenkorang, General Secretary of the GRNMA, Rebecca Ocran Abaidoo, Gender Desk at NAGRAT and Dr. Titus Beyuo, the General Secretary of the Ghana Medical joined Emefa Apawu to discuss their grievances. One of the interesting issues was each union agitating that their workers are the lowest paid of workers. Rebecca Ocran was the first to mention that teachers are the lowest paid of all the workers on the hierarchy of public sector workers. She argued that teachers are everywhere in the country with many living in deplorable situations and as such deserve COLA.
This opinion was subtly rejected by the David Tenkorang of the Registered nurses. He maintained that they rather are the lowest paid and government need to wake up and do the needful. Interestingly, Dr. Beyuo of the Medical Association also insisted that they are the least paid. He mentioned that some doctors have had to use public transport because of fuel prices.
In a show of solidarity, the leaders of the unions called on government to do the needful because workers are suffering. They all agreed the ordinary worker is worse off and can’t support themselves and charged government to show goodwill so they all work to develop Ghana.
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