Govt. must be forthright with the truth in all labour negotiations — Nortsu Kotoe
Government attitudes towards salary increases and welfare packages for workers, as well as negotiations with teacher unions and professional bodies, are consistently undermined by a lack of trust and commitment on the part of the government.
As a major stakeholder in all labor issues and negotiations, the government must be backed by trust, transparency, and commitment to enable parties to trust its involvement. This, it’s believed, will significantly contribute to peace and harmony, especially in light of the threats of demonstrations and labor unrest in the country.
Speaking on the Adekyee Mu Nsem morning show on Ahotor 92.3 FM hosted by Citizen Kofi Owusu in Accra, the Member of Parliament for Akatsi North, Peter Nortsu Kotoe, emphasized the need for the government to foster trust and commitment in negotiations.
He highlighted that some teacher unions are currently on the warpath due to delays in receiving dividends from their investments with the government. The government owes these unions approximately 1 billion cedis, struggling to meet its commitment to make payments to union members on their investments, which are unrelated to government financial instruments.
In another development, the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) has issued a deadline to the government, demanding resolution of their service conditions by May 31, 2024.
The association expresses frustration over the government’s delay in implementing the National Labour Commission’s (NLC) Arbitral Award Orders and negotiated service conditions.
These demands include compensating each member with one month’s salary for additional duties performed in 2022, among other issues.
Dr. Prince Obeng-Himah, the National President of CETAG, speaking to the media in Accra, emphasized that failure to address their concerns by the specified date will prompt the association to explore alternative actions.
“We would like to send a very strong signal and a message to our employer in unambiguous terms that we shall take our destinies into our own hands if, by 31st May 2024, all the outstanding compulsory arbitration awards as listed below are not fully implemented.
“We wish to call on the FWSC, GTEC, Ministry of Employment and Labour Relation, MoE, and the MoF to immediately comply with the NLC’s compulsory arbitration award orders in the supreme interest of industrial peace.
“We also call on the President of the Republic of Ghana, His Excellency Nana Akufo-Addo, the Speaker of Parliament of Ghana, the Chief Justice, and the Chairman of the National Peace Council to prevail on the employer to uphold the rule of law by complying with the NLC’s compulsory arbitration award orders issued on 2nd May 2023 to prevent any industrial disturbance,” he stated.
AYM Kukah: E-mail:kukahalexander7@gmail.com
