Ghanaian workers among Africa’s least paid

The Head of the Policy and Research Department of the Trades Union Congress, Dr Yaw Baah says even though Ghana is not the poorest country in Africa, the salaries of public sector workers is among the lowest on the Continent.

Dr Baah says it is in line with improving that situation that the TUC supported the idea of the Fair Wage Commission (FWC) that the Government had embarked upon, and advised members of the Union to cooperate with the various organisations that had been commissioned to evaluate the work of the various workers.

He made the observation at a general meeting of the New Juaben Municipal Council of Labour at Koforidua.

He said the TUC was urging the Government to adopt a living wage policy by the end of the work of the FWC.

Dr Baah said under the current minimum wage policy, the salary of only the worker was considered in computing salaries, but under the living wage policy, wages of employees would be based on the daily requirement of two spouses and two children.

He called on the Government to come out with a law to protect the dumping of foreign goods into the country, some of which were unwholesome.

Dr. Baah also called on workers to support the implementation of the Labour Law.

He said it was the view of the TUC that, though the law on strike was not a perfect one, the whole Labour Law protects workers’ interest more than employers.

Dr Baah advised workers to go through all the necessary processes before embarking on any strike action, explaining that under the new Labour Law, striking workers could be called back to work after seven days.

The Secretary General of TUC, Mr Kwasi Adu-Amankwa appealed to District Councils of Labour to hold regular meetings to discuss issues affecting them and when necessary to make public statements on Government policies.

He explained that when workers comment on Government policies publicly, it would enable the National Executive of the TUC to support it, so that it would not be considered as the opinion of some few leaders but as the collation of views of workers in the country.