The Secretary General of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah, has called on government to address the low minimum wage in the country to boost productivity.
According to him, the lack of proper reward systems and low wages at work places, especially in the government sector is a contributing factor to low productivity.
The minimum wage depicts the least amount of remuneration that an employer is required to pay wage earners for the work executed during a given period and country.
The national minimum wage of Ghana currently stands at ₵14.88, approximately $1.3. Undoubtedly this amount is woefully inadequate to cater for the expenses of an individual.
Speaking at a United Nations Global Impact’s National roundtable conference on the living wage, Dr. Baah explained that the surge in cheap labour and low-remunerated jobs is worrying and must be tackled to prevent dire consequences on the economy.
“Many of the jobs we have in Ghana are mainly cheap employment and that is not the way to promote productivity. If you do that continuously in the next 10 to 15 years, the population will hit about 50 billion.”
“The impact will be huge on the economy. It means we are in trouble”, he asserted.
The Executive Director of UN Global Impact Network Ghana, Tolu Lacroix emphasized the importance of employee welfare in achieving desired business growth.
“The backbone of every economy is the work. We look at nations like Germany, Japan, United States which have achieved high; workers are always key.
“How are we as a country making sure that workers and their families have a sustainable means of living?” he questioned.
The round table conference which was organised by the UN Global Impact Network Ghana is a move to advance conversations about Ghana’s low living wage with the government and relevant stakeholders on the labour front on improved remunerations and conditions of service.