NO ACRIMONY OVER SSSS (JULY 1, 2010)

From time immemorial, the labour front has witnessed several forms of agitation for better conditions of service. This agitation has led to prolonged industrial actions, even by those in sensitive sectors of the economy.
Until the National Labour Commission (NLC) arrived on the labour scene, strikes by health professionals had led to avoidable deaths, while our classrooms and other areas were left unattended when teachers and other workers walked away from their jobs.
The bone of contention during the agitation did not relate to general conditions of service but dissatisfaction with poor pay structure.
Negotiations for new collective bargaining agreements (CBAs) have always been very adversarial, as employers or management and workers of the same organisations take entrenched positions, the acrimonious nature of some of the negotiations not auguring well for industrial peace and harmony.
Local unions and labour as a whole are always accused of taking interest in only the conditions of service of their members, instead of showing concern for the good economic health of the organisations.
Anytime attention is drawn to the fact that there ought to be a correlation between productivity and wages, some workers have been quick to point out that it is not their responsibility to provide the necessary inputs for increased productivity.
The Daily Graphic thinks that the time has come for companies to reward achievements in order to motivate workers to increase productivity to avoid the situation where workers pretend to be working because their employers also pretend to be rewarding their services.
As the country migrates to the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) from today, it is our expectation that both labour and employers will recognise the importance of the reward system, which must not only be about salaries and bonuses but also include promotions and even simple ‘thank you’.
It is unfortunate, however, that the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG) has kicked against the SSSS, citing unfairness in the new salary administration.
The good news is that the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) has reached an agreement with other labour unions and associations to commence the implementation of the SSSS.
The SSSS is meant to address distortions in public sector salaries and wages and the Daily Graphic hopes that the parties in the agreement will remain at the table to address the grey areas without any adversarial posture.
Unfortunately, signals from some labour unions indicate that a lot more education is required to get the understanding and appreciation of all the stakeholders in the implementation of the system during these early days.
The new salary system can only bring about equity and improve compensation for the same work and qualification in the public sector if all the workers and employers sit together to amicably iron out their differences.
The Daily Graphic calls on the FWSC to learn lessons from the challenges that confronted the Ghana Universal Salary Structure (GUSS) in order not to repeat the mistakes of the past.
Let us now resolve to reward the right attitudes to work, as well as hard work, during this phase of salary administration in the country because by rewarding achievements, others will be inspired to contribute to the growth of their organisations and the national economy.
The Daily Graphic believes that the new salary structure will motivate and encourage workers to make quality contributions to the productive endeavours of the country.