Demand efficiency and hardwork from your own appointees too - Nana Addo urged

The call on Ghanaian workers to be productive and avoid being lazy at work by President Akufo-Addo, at the 2017 May Day parade has drawn commendation from various quarters.

The president's call has been described as spot on by some labour frontiers.

One of such individual is labour expert and the Kumasi Metro Council of Labour Chairman, Kofi Asare Ahianawa.

Speaking to Nyankonton Mu Nsem on Rainbow Radio 87.5Fm, the labour expert said, the president deserves commendation for the comments but was of the view that, employers have a responsibility towards employees whereas, employees also have the same responsibility.

However, we do not see these things and that is what causes people to be unproductive or lazy.

I am not endorsing laziness or non-productiveness but I am stressing the need for both sides to do their part to ensure development.

He lamented over the lack of proper supervision, monitoring and evaluation at the various institutions and further touched on the lack of logistics to enable workers deliver effectively.

He added, I will also encourage the president to also crack the whip on his appointees at the Ministry and Departmental levels when they fail to deliver.

It was good for the president to make that call but all these bothers on leadership and so, he must ensure efficiency from his appointees.

President Akufo-Addo in his speech said: “If we are going to make the changes we all want, then we have to start with a change in attitude to work. Government is ready to do its part and I am counting on you Secretary General to lead the campaign for a change in attitude to work and increase in productivity.”

“I have said it at another forum, but I think it bears repeating: we arrive at work late and then spend the first hour in prayer; we are clock watchers and leave in the middle of critical work, because it is the official closing time. Everything comes to a stop when it rains and we seem to expect the rest of the world also to stop,” the President said.

He continued, “We have no respect for the hours set aside for work… we pray, we eat, we visit during working hours. We spend hours chatting on the telephone when customers are waiting to be served, thereby increasing our labour costs. We take a week off for every funeral. And then we wonder why we are not competitive.”

“There is the petty stealing of paper, envelopes, tea, milk and other equipment. There is the reckless use of office vehicles. Employees show no inclination to protecting the things that are in the offices and factories and extreme reluctance to stand up for what we know to be right in our workplaces in general,” he added.