Set standards to promote worker's welfare – GFL to labour unions

Abraham Koomson, the Secretary General of the Ghana Federation of Labour, has charged labour unions to set standards in a bid to help eliminate the abuse of their members in the working environment.

He said the abuse of workers and the lackadaisical behaviour of some employers towards the welfare of their staff were due to a lack of quality standards by Labour Unions and their leaders for their members.

Mr Koomson said this during a presentation at the Ghana News Agency’s Tema Regional Office’s platform for state and non-state as well as commercial and business operators to communicate with the world and contribute to national development.

Mr Koomson said, “In the world of work, you could be used as a dormant if you do not raise your standard of operation, hence the need for labour unions to be in the lead to be able to promote the welfare of their members.

“If they know that you are not serious, they will use you. If you make yourself cheap, that is your own problem. So basically, it all depends on their leaders; they must ensure that the welfare of their members is paramount, and no employer will play with it.”

Mr Koomson, who is also a unionist, cited an instance where his office used Section 9 of the Labour Act to react to a policy by the Controller-General to use only the Ghana Card to pay workers.

He added that it was an act that must be emulated by other labour unions and organisations, to always project the welfare of their members; “it was necessary for workers to market themselves to be able to catch up with the corporate world of work.”

Meanwhile, Mr Koomson has urged the government to lessen the economic strain that most Ghanaians face, particularly public sector workers who relied heavily on merger wages.

He claimed that over the years, Ghanaian workers had continued to use magical economic prowess to balance their monthly income and expenditure.

“Ghanaian workers are experiencing a financial crisis that cannot be sustained this year; the government must intervene and alleviate the burden,” he stated.

He stated that Ghana was on the verge of a big worker revolt, which might erupt sooner rather than later if economic suffering persists till the end of the first quarter of this year.

Mr Koomson called on the government to work with labour unions to avert the potential industrial unrest through proactive engagement, salary adjustments, and the payment of statutory benefits to workers.