General News of Sunday, 7 April 2013

Source: Joy Online

TUC is useless – Labour Expert

A labour expert, Senyo Adjabeng has condemned the Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC) for “failing to live up to its responsibility and call striking public sector workers to order”.

Mr. Senyo Adjabeng says as the leadership of workers in the country, the TUC has the duty to call workers acting illegally to order.

Speaking to Myjoyonline.com, the Managing Consultant of Tema-based Corporate Aims Services Limited, described the TUC as “a disorganized organized labour”.

The country is faced with series of labour unrest following implementation of the Single Spine ay Policy. The Ghana Medical Association (GMA), the various Teacher Unions as well as pharmacists and other workers’ groups are demanding better conditions of service.

The leadership of GMA announced on Saturday April 6, 2013 in Kumasi, the Ashanti Regional capital, its members will not attend to out-patient cases at government hospitals across the country from Monday April 8, 2013. The doctors will intensify the strike from April 16, 2013, if no steps are taken to correct the anomaly in their salaries.

The decision followed the insistence of the GMA not to abide by a ruling upheld by the National Labour Commission on Friday, April 5, concerning the payment schedule for the doctors’ salary arrears.

But according to Mr. Senyo Adjaben, as the representative of labour on the tripartite committee, “the TUC has a broader role to play than just the determination of minimum wage”.

He, therefore, charged the TUC to “liaise with other stakeholders to bring some order to the labour terrain.”

“The TUC cannot be indifferent to what is happening; they have to show some leadership in this critical moment,” Mr. Adjabeng stressed.