Organised Labour has called on President Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to announce an over 60 per cent salary increment for workers to reduce the cost of living following the high inflation in the country.
President of one of the unions, the Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), Perpetual Ofori-Ampofo, tells TV3’s Daniel Opoku that even though negotiations with government is yet to began, they unions were looking at a 60 per cent upward adjustment to commensurate the high cost of living.
She expressed grave concern about the hardships workers are going through which has affected their meagre incomes.
Mrs. Ofori-Ampofo emphasised the numerous complaints from the over 10,000 nurses and midwives who are at the neck of the their leadership to engage the government on the cost living.
The GRNMA has already met President Akufo-Addo to discuss issues of redundancy and the need not to lay workers off ahead of negotiations with the IMF.
Underscoring the economic indicators that play pivotal role in salary negotiations, she called on the President to consider announcing a salary adjustment for workers.
“We would expect that provisions would be made for us. At least we have a fair idea of what it has to be. Although we have not negotiated, they can still make provisions in the budget for that such that we don’t cause any chaos within the public sector space in terms of the demands or expectations of workers.
“When it comes to these pay negotiations we are all very much aware the government side will come with all the economic indicators and all those things and then we negotiate. But I am yet to get any specific percentages or signals from my national council. In our conversation the other day I was told it has to be 60%. Not anything less than 60% because you’re looking at the rate of depreciation of the cedi and inflation and all of that. So those are possibilities but at the same time, we as workers are also not insensitive to the economic conditions and therefore we also take all these things into consideration when we are negotiating and believing that we can get something for our constituents but the most important thing is for it to even get started,” she relayed.
She again asked the president to announce a recruitment plan for nurses and midwives who have not been employed and also president should give assurance that the second tier pension funds will not be used to finance debt.
By Felix Anim-Appau|Onuaonline.com
