Aggrieved Public Sector Workers embark on demonstration, demand 25% pay increment
Aggrieved Public Sector Workers-Ghana, a coalition of public sector workers, Wednesday took to the streets of Accra to protest the inadequacy of the recent four per cent pay hike by the Government.
The group said that the percentage increment was unfair to public sector workers, and would not mitigate the current high cost of living in the country.
They are, therefore, expecting nothing short of a 25 percent increment in wages in the sector.
Norbert Gborgbortsi, Convenor, Aggrieved Public Sector Workers-Ghana, addressing the media after the demonstration, said workers cannot survive with the four per cent base pay increment in the wake of the introduction of numerous new taxes affecting their standards of living.
“How can someone taking a salary of less than two thousand Ghana cedis survive after all these taxes are deducted in addition to SSNIT, union levies et cetera,” he said.
Mr Gborgbortsi held that the government’s explanation that the four percent salary increment was due to the economic meltdown occasioned by the COVID-19 pandemic was unsatisfactory.
“Government claims that our four percent pay increase was due to the dire economic situation created by COVID-19, meanwhile, they have increased the salary of Article 71 holders by 79 percent. So, this explanation by them is discriminatory and unfair,” he added.
Gborgbortsi called on the leadership of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to return to the negotiation table and demand nothing short of a 25 percent increment on the base pay of public sector workers.
He said the demonstration would be replicated across the 16 regions of the country to press home their demands, adding that, if their request is not met, they would adopt other strategies to get what they want.
The government last month increased public sector wages by four per cent and seven per cent for 2021, 2022 respectively after negotiations with organized labour.
Organised labour had initially proposed a 15 per cent increment for both years and subsequently reduced the figure to 10 per cent, But when the government still maintained the four per cent and seven per cent for 2021 and 2022, with the condition that there would be retrenchment in the public sector if it acceded to the demand of organized labour.
Many in the public sector have voiced their displeasure with the development and have asked their unions to go back and negotiate well with the government. Some have said that the particular negotiation had been the weakest salary negotiation ever by organized labour.
Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP) Mrs Juliana Obeng, Director of Public Relations, Accra Regional Police Command, said the exercise was peaceful.
She commended the demonstrators for cooperating with the Police throughout the exercise.
The demonstration started from the Obra Spot, Kwame Nkrumah Circle at about 0830 hours, through Nkrumah Avenue towards the Farisco traffic Light, terminating at the Independence Square at 1130 hours.
Source: GNA