The Teachers and Educational Workers’ Union of Trade Union Congress, Ghana, has called for constructive engagement with the government to address labour relation issues.
The Union said, “The overwhelming vote for the National Democratic Congress means that the citizens, including labour unions, want things to be done differently.”
This was in a statement signed by King James Azortibah, the General Secretary of the Union in a New Year message to its members and the Ghanaian workers.
The Union called on authorities to expedite action to conclude negotiations on conditions of service of the affected institutions.
That, the statement stressed, would make it possible for the necessary financial commitments to be captured in the maiden budget of the government for immediate implementation.
The Union has some emergency pending issues with the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission in relation to the delayed conclusion and implementation of reviewed conditions of service for members in the Ghana Education Service, Ghana Museums and Monuments Board, the Ghana Library Authority, and the Public and Technical Universities.
The statement appealed to the new government to denounce the actions of management in the public universities that are promoting the formation of rival trade unions for parochial interest.
It said such actions were in clear breach of the labour law and called on the relevant state agencies to bring such officers pursuing the illegalities to order.
The statement urged the government to involve the labour unions in taking major socio-economic policy decisions, like the review of the free senior high school policy and others, and not as an afterthought.
“Labour’s input must be sought and seriously factored into any such future reviews because the cumulative negative effect is borne by Ghanaian workers both in the formal and informal sectors,” he said.
The statement wished Ghanaian workers a prosperous New Year, where hope, determination, fellow-feeling, and unity would be at play in approaching productivity and service delivery to enhance national development.
“The Union without a doubt appreciates the resilience and determination of Ghanaian workers in challenged times over the past years and is convinced that they will continue exhibiting such patriotic qualities and give of their best to inspire hope for a brighter future for the country,” it said.
