GUTA calls off strike action

Members of the Ghana Union Traders' Association (GUTA) on Thursday agreed to call off their strike action and open their shops on Monday, pending the outcome of negotiations with the Ministry of Trade and Industry.

They, however, said they would embark on a nation-wide strike action if government fails to take action on decisions reached at their last meeting. They gave the government up to June 30, to work on the agreement. If it fails to do so they would ask other members in the regions to join in the strike. The decision was taken at a meeting called by GUTA executive to brief members about the state of negotiations.

GUTA is asking the government to check the fast depreciation of the cedi and put a freeze on the 20 per cent special tax on certain imports. Paa Kofi Ansong, Public Relations Officer of GUTA, in an interview with the GNA, said the one-month ultimatum was to enable the executive and members work out strategies for their next line of action if government failed to act. He said the strike has been beneficial because it has succeeded in drawing public attention to the important role they play in the economy. Paa Ansong congratulated members of the association for the incident-free strike. He said those who wanted to use politics to divide their ranks would not succeed, adding that the traders are more united now than ever. On the talks with the ministry, he said they centred on the rapid depreciation of the cedi against major currencies, the investment code and the 20 per cent special tax on some imports. He did not elaborate. "We are not against the special tax. Our concern is that the local industries cannot expand to absorb any shock that a cut in the importation of goods will bring in the short-term", he explained. A few members that the GNA spoke to were not in favour of the decision to open their shops, arguing that the government would not take them serious next time they embark on such an action to back their demands