Govt’s unchecked campaign spending to blame for increased labour strikes – Austin Gamey

Labour analyst Austin Gamey has criticised the government for the recent unrest in Ghana’s labour landscape.

Over the past few weeks, the country has witnessed a wave of industrial actions led by various worker unions, including TUSAAG, FUSAAG, and NCCE, largely due to the government’s failure to settle outstanding allowances of members of the affected unions.

According to Austin Gamey, many workers feel neglected, as the government appears more focused on its own interests rather than addressing the grievances of the labour force.

With the 2024 General Elections on the horizon, political parties are heavily investing in their campaigns instead of allocating funds to resolve workers’ issues.

In an interview with Citi News on Sunday, the labour analyst expressed concern that without an immediate solution, Ghana is likely to face an escalation in strikes and further turmoil in its labour space.

“But I think their actions also give an impression to the workers concerned that as if they don’t care about them. Because you are busily campaigning, they see people spending money because your going and coming are being run on fuel and you eat, you sleep.

“And it is not just 10 people. Hundreds of people are in the bush doing that. It is a lot of money so obviously the people will feel embittered. And that is the reason why the strikes are becoming rampant. And we will get even worse in the coming weeks. So we just have to find ways and means of dealing with the matter without delay.