WORKERS WELFARE PARAMOUNT IN ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT (MAY 4, 2009)

RALLIES and marches were held across the world yesterday to mark International Labour Day.
The day, which is to show international solidarity with the working people of the world, is a pivot around which the collective interests and aspirations of the working people the world over is articulated.
It is also an occasion for organised labour to point the way forward not only in respect of improvement in remuneration and working conditions of workers but also on the formulation and adoption of policies and programmes by the government and decision makers at workplaces to sustain jobs and enterprises.
In Ghana, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and other allied labour organisations organised an impressive march to mark the day, which was attended by the President, Professor John Evans Atta Mills, and his Vice, Mr John Dramani Mahama, at the Independence Square in Accra.
The clarion call from the workers at the parade, as had been with previous May Day parades, was for the government, as the single largest employer in the country, and employers in the private sector, to endeavour to increase significantly the wages and salaries, as well as better their conditions of service.
To the government, the workers specifically called for the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure, the restoration of the End-of-Service Benefit and the implementation of the new pension scheme under the New National Pension Law 2008.
There can be no doubt about the genuineness of the demand for improved wages and conditions of service for workers, especially given the appreciable increase in inflation and consequently the rise in the cost of living stretching back to the last half of last year.
These and other factors have contributed to the eroding of the purchasing power of workers and their dependants.
We are happy to note that President Atta Mills, in recognition of the legitimacy of these workers’ demands, has already indicated the resolve of the government to meet these demands, including the acceleration of the implementation of the Single Spine Salary Structure, which would, in addition to enhancing wages, also address the gross distortions in earnings of workers across the labour spectrum.
We also hasten to add that the recent increase in the minimum wage by the government and the pledge to progressively review workers’ remunerations to attain the ideal of paying workers living wage need the commendation and support of workers.
It should not be lost on us that we are currently stuck in the quagmire of global economic meltdown and a weak and very shaky domestic economy with an unprecedented fiscal deficit.
These, without doubt, would constrain our growth and our ability to generate the requisite resources to support any excessive demands.
Some of the surest ways out of this predicament is for us, as a people, to reduce waste and inefficiency to the barest minimum while stepping up productivity in our various workplaces.
We can only move forward together to overcome these challenges when we recognise that the destiny of workers, the government and other employers are closely linked and intertwined and that we need to forge a close and harmonious working relationship to float together.
We wish to take the opportunity on this important day to salute our hard-working people, who have sacrificed throughout the years to bring this country to where it is now.