Labour expect tells government to set targets for workers
UTAG strikes
A labour expert, Austin Gamey has said due to the high cost of living, employers are likely to find it difficult to meet the demands of workers.
According to him, this could led to more labour agitation this year.
“This year is going to be very turbulent; it’s not going to be easy. Not only the government organisations; even private sectors will [embark on strike actions]. [This] because of the fact that a lot of employers may not be able to meet the demands of some of the unions, workers and therefore, threats may be there, a lot of pressure will be brought to bear at the National Labour Commission (NLC) because they can’t resolve all the issues, it’s not possible.” Speaking to Asaase News, Gamey urged government to take steps to ensure grievances of these unions are addressed
“And so, what we (the government) should be doing is to find ways of resolving these problems by engaging the unions as quickly as possible. And the ministry of employment, particularly ministry of health and education should be ready,” he stated.
He also called on organizations to pay salaries based on the level of productivity of workers.
According to him, there is a need for a review of the method of payment of salaries, to prevent a series of strikes due to poor salary administration in the country.
“Let’s review our method of payment. What we need to do is pay people based on what they put in. The major problem we have on our hands is poor salary administration.”
“Section 8 (B) of our labour laws says that the employer must set targets. The law says that when you set targets, you provide your employees with the needed facilities to work with. The law says in Section 11 (c) that the employer must ensure that workers enhance productivity,” Mr Gamey added. He added that new methods must be adopted to prevent future strikes from happening.
The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) began its nationwide strike action to press home their demand for improved conditions of service.
UTAG from last year has been lamenting the worsening conditions of its members and followed through with some demands on government.
In its latest press release dated January 8, the group decried government’s inability to implement as well as meet timelines agreed upon during negotiations as part of efforts aimed at improving the conditions of service of lecturers.
Read Full Story
Facebook
Twitter
Pinterest
Instagram
Google+
YouTube
LinkedIn
RSS