Stop engaging employee members at expense of productivity

Accra, April 30, GNA - Churches and other religious faiths would be doing Ghana a great of service if they would cease from engaging their employee members during productive working hours at the expense of work to improve upon national output.

Speaking to commemorate this year's May Day occasion on Saturday in Accra, Reverend Jonas Henaku of the Transform Life Ministries told the Ghana News Agency that such a practice do not only impact negatively on overall national output but also measured the role religious bodies play in the nation's growth and development.

"Substituting working hours for prayers and counselling as most Churches and other faiths do today, does not serve a good example for other working population and even unto God.

"The Bible says: If a man will not work, he shall not eat," this should be hallmark and nothing less than that should thought to members.

"Even if you do not have a job, sitting ideal in the name of faith shredded in slogans and clich=E9s such as 'God will provide, God shall supply all my needs according to his riches in glory and in His time he makes all things beautiful' would not solve the problem, Rev. Henaku advised.

On job remuneration, he said there was the need to put in place a mechanism that would ensure that worker productivity is tied to his wage or to pay labour commensurate to work done.

According to him this should form the crust of labour unions agitations for higher wages and until that was ensured, demonstrations and strikes to press for increase in salaries would be out of place. "Social loafing is not a healthy attitude to national growth, therefore every effort must be made by worker-institutions, especially in the pubic sector to check this menace," Rev. Henaku said.

He said the celebration of May Day should be made to seem to the worker as a time to add few cedis to his salary or wage, but more importantly a time to reflect on whether one is worth what he earns and how his work and earning have impacted on over-all productivity.

To the government and other employers, Rev. Henaku said, "There is the need for them to pay the Ghanaian employee what is due him because it will do a lot to reduce bribery and corruption in the system."

Quoting portions of the Bible, he said, "Where there are no oxen, the manger is empty but from the strength of an ox comes an abundant harvest," adding that government must take good care of workers so they could wok efficiently to increase output.

Rev. Henaku said, "loyalty, sacrifice, dedication, commitment and faithfulness to work come to replace malpractices such as bribery and corruption when people are well remunerated."