Organised labour will today embark on its nationwide strike in what could be the biggest demonstration by Ghanaians against government’s economic mismanagement, poor fiscal policies and growing hardship in the country in the last 15 years.
Organised Labour, made up of the 18 affiliates of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and professional bodies and associations in the country, explained that the nationwide strike is intended to signal to the ruling party of labour’s disapproval of the recent hikes in petroleum and utility charges as well as the prevailing economic and social conditions.
According to the Secretary-General of the TUC, Kofi Asamoah, attempts to coerce government to act decisively on addressing the worsening economic situation in Ghana have been disregarded and played-down by government officials.
“We (have) communicated our intention to use all legitimate means to express in the strongest possible terms, labour’s disapproval of not only the current pricing regime for fuel and other utilities, but equally importantly, the prevailing economic and social conditions in the country.
“In the view of Organised Labour, governance cannot be separated from the current economic and social malaise we face in this country…Our government have a duty to ensure that their economic policies do not compromise the wellbeing of Ghanaians.
“Contrary to this, our government has consistently increased utility tariffs, prices of petroleum products and implemented a number of measures and policies without recourse to their social impact on the people. There have also been no provisions to mitigate their effects…In these difficult economic and social times, workers have nobody to turn to but government. Indeed government must take responsibility and act appropriately.
“The economic situation has moved from bad to worse and it is deteriorating by the day. There seem to be no end in sight…Times are really hard for working people and indeed majority of Ghanaians and the prognosis on the economy is not good either. As we have stated consistently, there is a limit to what working people and Ghanaians can take.
“Today all workers in Ghana, formal and informal, are to stay away from work and converge at designated locations in Accra and other regional capital to demonstrate,†he said.
A statement issued by the TUC on Wednesday said, all workers in the Greater Accra Region are to converge at the Obra Spot, Kwame Nkrumah Circle at 6:30am on Thursday and called on all industries and employers, as well as all well-meaning Ghanaians feeling the pinch of the situation to support and join the demonstration, saying “Indeed this is good for our democracy.â€Â
Government had initially appealed to labour to cancel the demonstrations in favour of discussions, following it up with frantic meetings all to get labour to stay on the job.
Meanwhile, the Ghana Police Service has abandoned its earlier request for Organised Labour to organise the protests on a regional basis; citing inadequate personnel to guarantee the safety of the protesters.
Since the turn of the year, prices of petroleum products have been adjusted upwards four times, which sums up to about 40 percent as a result of the slide in the cedi -- which has depreciated by about 30% against the US dollar.
The Private Enterprise Federation (PEF), which is the umbrella-body of private businesses, has described the sentiments and mood of businesses in the economy as “horribleâ€Â, “Shockingâ€Â, and “deterioratingâ€Â.
The Bank of Ghana has also expressed concerns about the waning consumer and business sentiments as well as tightened credit conditions that could impact on the general economic outlook.
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