Mr Angel Carbonu, President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has stated that organized labour’s demand for a 60% increment in base pay is vidicated.

Organised labour, in a letter signed by Trade Union Congress’ (TUC) General Secretary, Dr. Yaw Baah and Mr Isaac Bampoe Addo, Chairman of the Forum of Public Sector Workers, referred to the rising inflation and the 15% Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) granted on the National Daily Minimum Wage as grounds for a 60% increment in base pay.

According to the group, a huge space has been created between the National Daily Minimum Wage and the Base Pay as a result of accepting COLA instead of normal salary increase and granting increases in the National Daily Minimum Wage.

Speaking in an interview, the President of NAGRAT opined that taking into consideration the current economic cricis, it is only fair that the labour group demand an increase in base pay to match inflation and the depreciation of the cedi.

Mr Carbonu stated that even government has adjusted rates at which they provide service to meet the current economic challenges, thus it is only natural that workers would do same.

“Something very interesting is happening. The Government itself how is it pricing its services to the citizens of this country? Once you have the depreciation of the cedi, it will always have a direct effect on the levels of duties that are paid at the ports.

“So for example an importer told me just a few days ago she shipped goods from China to Ghana and brought the bill so as to prepare for the duties that she will pay when the goods arrive. The amount of money that was quoted as at the time that she did the enquiry was at 62,000 Ghana cedis.”
Angel Carbonu

Mr Carbonu continued by saying that, “When the goods arrived and she went to the harbor to clear, it had increased to 152,000 Ghana cedis, why? Just because the cedi has depreciated.”

“So government itself uses the depreciation of the cedi or the appreciation of the dollar to determine how much people pay at the ports. Can we say by this behavior government is contributing to high prices of goods and services on our markets? That is what it is.”
Mr Angel Carbonu

If Government Won’t Increase Base Pay, We’ll Work Fewer days

Meanwhile, Mr Joshua Ansah, Deputy General-Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) disclosed that should the government fail to meet the demands of organized labour in the ongoing wage negotiation, his members would begin to regulate their working days.

According to him, taking into consideration the harsh economic conditions and the low salaries they receive from government, should government fail to upwardly adjust their base pay by 60%, they would start working fewer days.

Mr Ansah explained that working five days a week under these harsh economic conditions has taken a huge toll on workers and thus it is only reasonable that the government heeds their request or prepare to accommodate fewer working days for workers.

“So if I’m negotiating with you and you’re unable to be fair, you’re unable to be truthful to yourself to tell us what is in the kitty? Who is taking what? And you tell us the economy is bad and there’s no money, government cannot pay, government cannot afford, then I’m inclined to go with brother Carbonu by saying that okay then we can also say that we’ll stay at home and come to work once in a week or twice in a week.

“Because somebody taking 500 cedis and paying transport of more than 1200 per month, how do you expect that person to come to work every day? How do you expect that person even to get something to eat after paying for the transportation? A family of two; a wife a husband and maybe two kids, how will they live in this very country?”
Mr Ansah

According to him, all these are the things that are very real in the face of Ghanaian workers and it’s enough. To him, it is time that they try to bring practicality to bear.

“We don’t think this is the time for government to tell us the money is not there and there’s no way to pay us then if the money is not there, let us find a way of regulating our work whether to come to work once in a week, twice in a week and so on and so forth to commensurate the money that we’re being paid,” he said.