Agitations, strikes, demos - who?s behind them?

The season of demonstrations and threats of strike actions is here and so is the approach of the 27-month political jinx that has bedevilled civilian regimes and sent them out of power.

The past two weeks have witnessed agitations on the labour front that have ostensibly been provoked by the hike in fuel prices and the need to address the imbalances consequently created in the pockets of Ghanaian workers.

Serious analysis of the situation however, reveals deliberate and instigated attempts to rock the political boat of the country, using worker discontent over the petrol price increases. Barely a week ago, a so-called concerned group of citizens from Teshie marched through the streets of Accra in protest against the planned private sector participation in the water sector.

Information available to The Statesman shows that the unseen hand behind that action was NDC binging and former minister of state, Daniel Ohene Agyekum. Genuine and well grounded as the grievances of Ghanaian workers may be in their response to the petroleum price hikes, impeccable sources in the labour movement point to discreet attempts by political hands, mainly from the opposition NDC to instigate and teleguide these actions to create discontent against the NPP government, if not make the country ungovernable.

The NDC is providing tacit support and fuelling agitations on the labour front as part of its agenda to erode the goodwill the NPP enjoys. One personality identified as a Trade Unionist with misplaced priorities is Wilson Agana, the man used in the 90s by the NDC government to instigate a strike action at the GTMC.

Barely two weeks after leading the Tema District Council of Labour in a demonstration that dripped with political rhetoric, Agana has come under fire from his co-workers who want him out on account of failure to champion their cause.

With a workforce of only 11, Agana has been found wanting in his defence of that small band of workers, while he agitates on behalf of the legion TDCL in a matter with strong political undertones.

Criss-crossing the labour front in furtherance of the political agenda of evoking the 27 month jinx on the NPP government, the NDC has strained every nerve to get workers to go out in droves to throw our streets into chaos.

The threat by the Accra District Council of Labour to get into the streets of Accra, a crowd unprecedented in its show of strength failed to materialise on Tuesday as workers failed to respond to calls that included NDC controlled radio stations, to get into the streets in protest.

March 2003 will mark the 27 months of the NPP government and the determination by some to ensure it does not cross the political rubbicorn is bound to increase as workers become more sucked into the game of being used as a political canon-fodder.