Unprecedented strike coming if Gov’t doesn’t increase salaries – TUC

 The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has warned that it will embark on an industrial action never-seen-before in the history of Ghana if the government does not increase the salary of members.

Speaking at a forum in Accra on Thursday, April 21, Secretary-General of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah asked the government not to hide behind the impact of the coronavirus and ongoing Russia and Ukraine war not to increase salaries.

“Employers should index our pay to the inflation because the employer change the prices of their goods so the inflation rate does not affect them the way it is affecting us therefore we should get our salaries indexed,” he stated.

Dr Yaw Baah urged workers not to rely too much on the government and employers, saying that the members of the union ought to ask questions about what they can do for themselves as workers and unions.

“We will negotiate effectively this year and that one ,I want to assure you that I will lead that negotiation,” he assured. “We will continue to talk, we will continue to negotiate but if the dialogue fails we are going to embark on an industrial action that has never happened in this country before.”

Dr Yaw Baah further said the TUC has assessed the pensions situation in Ghana and has come to the conclusion that their condition is terrible, stressing that many pensioners were dying prematurely because they receive as low as GHS300 a month.

This situation, he said, must change because pensioners do not have the energy at age 60 to engage in aggressive work for survival hence their dependence on pension benefits.

According to him, the low level of salaries translates into low pension benefits.

“We have analyzed pensions and those who are earning pensions, it is very sad. The low level of salary translates into low level of pensions directly and you will suffer more because you have wasted all your energy working for this country and when you are 60 you cannot do what you used to do.

“But that is the time you are going to earn very little. No wonder many pensioners die before their appointed time. that should change. As I speak to you now, there are many pensioners who are earning just 300 cedis a month but you will be surprised to hear on the same social security scheme, SSNIT, somebody is earning ¢142,000 every month.

“If you multiply that by 12, you will get the annual pension for that pension. This is not right and we have to change it,” he contended.