TOWARDS INDUSTRIAL HARMONY (JUNE 23, 2009)

ORGANISED labour has expressed concern over the lack of government’s commitment towards the determination and payment of salaries for public sector employees for this year.
However, the good news is that the government has indicated its readiness to resume salary negotiations with public sector workers this week.
It is an undeniable fact that workers are now reeling under the high cost of living occasioned largely by the recent increases in the prices of petroleum products, spiralling inflation levels, as well as the erosion of the real value of the cedi.
Much as the DAILY GRAPHIC believes that organised labour has the legitimate right to undertake any lawful action when and where necessary to back its demands for higher wages, it is our contention that it is too early for it to threaten industrial action, particularly at a time when the fundamentals of the economy are weak and the country is saddled with huge expenditure.
Nonetheless, we salute workers for having maintained a relative peaceful industrial atmosphere over the years, despite the intermittent agitation for improved salaries. Industrial harmony is key to the national effort to increase productivity and any breaches can be inimical to the national progress.
For this reason we urge organised labour to exercise restraint and work in concert with the government to resolve any outstanding issues for industrial harmony and peace to prevail. Any miscalculations could undermine the fortunes of the national economy.
The thrust of any meaningful negotiation largely depends on transparency on the part of the parties and their commitment to implement the agreements reached at the end of the process.
While labour is demanding a 25 per cent salary increase, the government is currently examining the implications of such a request on the national economy.
The DAILY GRAPHIC does not want to pre-empt the outcome of the negotiations but we advise the parties to approach the process with open-mindedness, since entrenched positions can thwart the discussions.
We ask the government to quicken the pace of the discussions, otherwise any increment can be eroded by rising inflation and cost of living. All the parties should recognise the essence of compromise in any negotiations because any group that is not ready for a compromise should not submit to a roundtable discussion.
The DAILY GRAPHIC pleads with all parties involved in the ongoing salary negotiations to be frank, open and dispassionate in their discussions, taking into account the collective interest of the larger society.
At the end of it all, the outcome of the negotiations must be a win-win situation, not one in which one party will feel cheated.
As organised labour and representatives of the government and the Fair Wages Commission meet this week to resume salary negotiations, everything must be done to avoid an inconclusive outcome.
This calls for commitment to the process of salary negotiations, open-door discussions and seriousness on the part of the parties in order to guarantee industrial harmony in the country.