Engage organized labor right away to avoid strike – Gamey to gov’t

A labour analyst Austin Gamey has advised the government to immediately engage with organized labour over its decision to embark on an industrial action effective Tuesday, December 27, 2022.

The group wants the government to exempt the pensions of its members from the Debt Exchange Programme.

Announcing the strike in Accra, the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Yaw Baah, said the government had failed to heed the demands of organised labour.

“The government has refused to grant us our request that all pension funds be exempted from the DEP. We have decided firmly that all workers of Ghana are going on strike on December 27.

“We will be on strike until our demand that all pension funds be exempted from the DEP is granted,” he said.

Under the programme, existing domestic bonds will be exchanged for a set of four new bonds maturing in 2027, 2029, 2032 and 2037.

Speaking to Masem News, Mr Gamey said the consequences of the strike will be severe thus the need for a swift intervention from the government.

“The government shouldn’t be acting like an employer. The government must ensure that they find a way of engaging. I wonder if they would have the courage to go to the IMF and crawl back to what they have written in respect of the pension funds… If I were to be in their shoes, I would start engaging them from last night.”