TUC dismisses concerns that salaries of workers won’t be increased

The leadership of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has dismissed concerns that salaries of workers are not going to be increased during this period of the COVID-19.

Joshua Ansah, Deputy Secretary-General at the TUC told Dzifa Bamph on the First Take on 3FM Wednesday, May 5 that the tripartite committee responsible for the determination of the new minimum wage has not concluded on any such decision.

Apart from the tripartite committee, he explained, no other person can single-handedly make a determination as to whether or not salaries of workers will be increased.

“No one party can just sit in his or her own comfort zone and determine salary of workers of this country.

“Salaries are determined by the tripartite committee and as far as I am aware, as far as the tripartite committee has not concluded the negotiations, I cannot say and nobody can also that salary [increment] are going to be frozen for this period.

“I think that we should all wait and see when the negotiations for minimum wage commences and at the end of the negotiations you will all know the outcome of the meeting. But for me, as I sit here right now, there is no way that I can say that there is not going to be salary increase because tripartite has not determined no or zero salary increase.

“Let us hope that the tripartite committee will be up and doing and then come up with what is expected of the committee.”

Regarding the decision by President Akufo-Addo to freeze his salary increment for this and that his vice and all other appointees of the executive, he said “ But for now if the government and appointees have frozen their incomes, we thank God that they have done it.

“But if you compare their salaries to the ordinary workers to an appointee I think the difference is clear and there is no way workers will say that they are also freezing our salaries. Workers had already sacrificed for complete one year.”

When Dzifa asked him whether or not it would have been a big sacrifice, if government has said that at the end of the four years they would not take ex gratia, he said “That is it. But once they did not talk about the ex gratia and they are talking about monthly salary, I don t think it is enough.”