Austin Gamey, a labour expert has predicted more labour agitations this year including those within the private sector.
He said employers are not likely to meet the demands of their workers due to the high cost of living in the country.
Some labour unions including the Tertiary Educational Workers Union (TEWU), and the Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anesthetists have returned to the negotiation table after they embarked on industrial action.
But their colleagues, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG) are currently on strike to demand better conditions of service.
Speaking to Asaase News, Gamey said the government must take steps to resolve the grievances of the unions.
He said, “This year is going to be very turbulent; it’s not going to be easy. Not only the government organisations; even private sectors will [embark on strike actions]. [This] because of the fact that a lot of employers may not be able to meet the demands of some of the unions, workers and therefore, threats may be there, a lot of pressure will be brought to bear at the National Labour Commission (NLC) because they can’t resolve all the issues, it’s not possible.”
“And so, what we (the government) should be doing is to find ways of resolving these problems by engaging the unions as quickly as possible. And the ministry of employment, particularly ministry of health and education should be ready,” he stated.
Four associations namely, the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), the Technical University Teachers’ Association of Ghana (TUTAG), Cocoa carriers from various warehouses of the Ghana Cocoa Board, the Ghana Association of Certified Registered Anesthetists (GACRA) and the College of Education Teachers’ Association of Ghana (CETAG) have all recently declared strike over poor working conditions.
Nicholas Brown
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