TUC working with govt to raise public sector salaries

Ho, March 1, GNA - The Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) on Thursday said it was using all legitimate means to get government to raise public sector salaries to levels enjoyed by health workers. Dr Yaw Baah, Head of Policy and Research Department of the TUC, said this at a meeting of the Ho District Council of Labour (DCL) in Ho. He said the considerations that necessitated the adjustment of salaries of certain categories of public sector workers existed for workers in the other sectors and that "what is good for the goose is good for the gander".

Dr Baah said the TUC was also in negotiations with government for the determination and paying of living wages to be calculated on the needs of the worker, spouse and two children.

He said TUC was aware that wage increases had budget and productivity implications and that "wages are paid against work done". Dr Baah observed that wages in Ghana were one of the lowest in the sub-region and Africa, even better in countries whose economies were weaker than that of Ghana.

He said 60 years after the founding of the TUC, all its structures needed regeneration to make them more responsive to the needs of workers especially in the current day of labour union pluralism.

Dr Baah expressed regret that the District Councils of Labour, which should be meeting quarterly, had not met in the past two years for lack of funding.

He said the various DCL's were expected to raise some moneys on their own from traditional sources and even solicit for grants to organise their programmes.

Dr Baah said the re-denomination of the cedi, could be a prudent policy if the people were adequately educated on it to prevent confusion.

He said the government's Youth Employment Programme was a timely intervention to mop-up hordes of unemployed youth for national assignments.

Participants, however, during an open forum complained about non-payment of the allowances of the youth engaged under the programme. Other concerns were on the supposed inadequacies of the National Health Insurance Scheme and the unsigned collective agreements of organisations with the Public Service Workers Union (PSWU).