Public sector workers to hit streets

Public sector workers have announced a planned demonstration against the recent 4% and 7% increments in their wages.

The demonstration is set to take place on Wednesday, August 18 in Accra.

The workers said they have presented their notification letters to the Accra Regional Command of the Ghana Police Service and already approval has been given.

The leadership of Organised Labour has recently come under severe criticism for accepting the salary increments by the aforementioned percentages for public sector workers.

Some labour groups claim the four and seven percent margins are disappointing and unfair to workers due to the impact of the Covid-19, but the leadership of Organised Labour has argued that it accepted the percentage to allow the government to employ over one million workers into the public service.

Reacting to the development on Onua TV, the Lead Convener for the Aggrieved Public Sector Workers, Norbert Gborgbotsi, dared the government to invite public sector workers to come up with a redundancy programme and many public sector workers will apply.

“Do you think the government can embark on redundancy? Government should try and see that 90% of Ghanaian workers will put in the application,” he said.

Mr Gborgbotsi said, “if TUC says it does not want the government to lay off public sector workers, tell them to lay us off and give us redundancy packages and see if the government can afford that.

“Go to Newmont Ghana. The workers there are praying for redundancy because the package is four times their retirement packages.”

The Convener said, “we did not get representation on the panel and we will not accept the four and seven percent increments.

“Some workers are taking 70 percent which is subjected to the same economy, why must some be given 70 percent and others be given four percent?”

“We are gathering for a demonstration on the 18th of August. We have presented our letter to the police and they have accepted it so we shall hit the streets.”

The salary increments were reached in June by the National Tripartite Committee.

While the 2021 salaries were increased by six percent, the 2022 salaries were increased by eight percent.