Deputy Secretary General of TUC pushes for higher remuneration
Mr Anthony Yaw Baah, Deputy Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has stated that one Ghana cedi per hour for workers as basic minimum rate in the country is not the best, and that workers need better remuneration that is commensurate with current living conditions.
“Workers deserve more than eight Ghana Cedis minimum wage per day in view of the falling value of the Ghana Cedi, high interest rates on borrowing from banks and high cost of living in the country which makes it difficult for workers to make ends meet”, he emphasised.
Mr Baah made these remarks when he addressed the Regional and District Councils of Labour on Tuesday in Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, where he also indicated that the Union needed to do more to improve the situation.
He said even the 10 per cent base increment negotiated for new salaries in 2016 did not come on a silver platter.
He recalled that in 2014, Single Spine Salary workers received 10 per cent as cost of living allowance, whilst in 2015 they got 13 per cent increment over the 2013 salary. He added that in 2015 negotiated base salary was 10 per cent over 2016 salary constituting 14.29 per cent.
The Bolgatanga meeting, according to the General Secretary, was one of 170 meetings taking place throughout the country before the end of 2015 and a prelude to the National Congress of the TUC to be held in 2016.
He noted that things were not going on well for workers in view of the fact that many youth had no jobs, and described the impact of government‘s decision to go to the IMF as a contributory factor to the difficulties workers faced in the country.
He expressed worry at the rate at which party politics and conflicts in the country were on the increase, and said it was a threat to the stability of trade unions. “Anything interpreted in the perspective of NDC or NPP can affect workers’ solidarity”, he noted, and therefore urged Union members not to be influenced by such partisan divisions but to sensitize their families against engaging in party squabbles.
He encouraged the involvement of the youth in the work of the unions since the fortunes of the unions depended on the younger generation. He further commended the role of women in the union in the Upper East Region and urged more women to join the ranks.
Source: GNA