‘Government must deepen engagement with Organised Labour in 2023’ - GFL

The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has called on the government to deepen broad-based engagement with Organised Labour in 2023 to reduce labour agitations, discontent, demonstrations and industrial actions.

Mr Abraham Koomson, the GFL Secretary General, who made the call at the Ghana News Agency Industrial News Hub Platform in Tema on Friday, said the posture of the government and its agencies in managing institutions had a direct correlation on industrial turbulence or peace on the labour front.

He noted that for Ghana to overcome the economic crisis next year, the government must build bridges and engage labour leaders in an open and frank discussion.

2023 offered the government an opportunity to listen to labour leaders as social partners to create a platform for deliberations and working together to accelerate Ghana’s development and ease economic burdens, he said.

Mr Koomson said the rigid posture of some government officials most often triggered unrest.

“The government needs to be willing to share ideas and involve social partners in deliberations on economic matters of the country instead of keeping conversations within its domains and seeking for help when issues get worse,” he said.

“Social partners can help the government in analysing key development issues and avoid situations like going to the International Monetary Fund (IMF) for assistance.”

Mr Koomson explained that social partnerships would accelerate inclusive growth and transform the Ghanaian economy, create opportunities, and create jobs to improve the living standards of the citizenry.

He said labour would continue to fight for what was right for employees, including better working conditions and value addition to the workforce to promote development.

He called for unity within the labour front to collectively fight for the interests of workers, adding: “We must rise up and fight for our fair share of the national cake”.

Mr Koomson said because of disunity among the labour unions successive governments had exploited the divisions and infiltrated into the leadership to pursue their political interests instead of fighting against labour injustice.

It was inappropriate for any labour union to put their political interests above the needs of workers, he said, and called for pragmatic solutions to the disjointed labour front.

He questioned why some workers retired on their full salary with other entitlements while others retired on virtually nothing.

“These are errors and unfair treatment in the labour front, which we must all work together to correct going forward”.

“We all work for the same state, either we all retire on our full salaries and other benefits or we all go home without it. The animal farm policies must give way”.