National President of the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Christian Addai-Poku says Ghana’s Minister of Finance, Seth Terkper, lacks skills in handling labour relations issues.

“I think somebody needs to talk to the Minister of Finance for him to check the way he is handling the labour issues,” Mr. Addai-Poku pointed out on Thursday, April 17 on TV3.

His call comes on the back of the recent pronouncement in Parliament by Mr. Terkper proposing a moratorium on public sector wage increase, this year.

The NAGRAT National President insisted that the statement on the floor of Parliament was misplaced.

“We don’t do that,” he stressed. “If it is a collective bargaining process, you negotiate with the party and then make sure that the party agrees before you come to make a declaration in Parliament.”

He said making a statement before Parliament does not make it a law.

Mr. Addai-Poku, therefore, called for more negotiation with interested parties before such pronouncements are made by public officials.

“It is a social partnership that demands that you negotiate with the other parties. You don’t unilaterally declare what you want to do. Nobody will accept that.”