President Akufo-Addo has charged members of the Labour Commission to as a matter of priority, ensure that through their work, they promote industrial peace and harmony in Ghana.
Addressing members of the commission after swearing them into office at the Jubilee House Friday 8 July 2022, President Akufo-Addo said the commission’s mandate per the Labour Act of working to promote industry peace has become extremely important in the face of prevailing national and global economic challenges.
“The importance of the commission has been established by statute, the Labour Act, which is the authority for establishing the commission. Its primary purpose is to promote this commission as the vehicle for settling industrial disputes in our country.
“In the times in which we are, this difficult economic circumstances in which we are in the country which is affecting everybody, top to bottom, it will take on added significance, the work that you are going to be doing,” President Akufo-Addo said.
“I believe that the promotion of industry peace and harmony is a function of two things, that we establish a balance between what are the legitimate demands of labour and what are the capacity of the employer. It is the most effective way of promoting industrial peace and harmony,” he added.
Prevailing unrest
At least four teacher unions in Ghana are currently on an indefinite strike over demands for cost of living allowance (COLA).
They are the Ghana National Association of Teachers, National Association of Graduate Teachers, Coalition of Concerned Teachers, Ghana and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union.
The strike began on Monday 4 July 2022, after the unions said government failed to meet their 30 June deadline to pay their members between 20% and 30% of their salaries as cost of living allowance.
“We have been compelled under the current circumstances to publicly communicate to Ghanaians on our intention to go on strike having gone passed the 30 June deadline we gave government for the payment of cost of living allowance,” the general secretary of GNAT, Thomas Musah, said when he addressed the media at the start of the strike.
“Consequently, we have decided to embark on strike from today, Monday 4 July 2022. By this, we are informing the general public that we are withdrawing services in all the pre-tertiary education institutions. This includes teaching and non-teaching staff.,” he added.
Response
Rose Karikari Anang, a member of the board, said that the commission will do all within its mandate to deal with current labour unrest while they work to prevent any such discontent in the future.
“We can assure you that we are poised to work and we will be engaging organized labour, employers and government as an employer”, she said.
Commission members
The commission is chaired by his lordship Justice Kwabena Asuman-Adu (Rtd). The members of the commission are Mr. Emmanuel Amota, Mrs. Rose Karikari Anang, Mr. Justice Peter Kwabena Ababio (Rtd), Mr. Kofi Davor, Mr. Patrice Fidelis Sedoh, Mr. Isaac Sackey and Ofosu Asamoah, the executive secretary of the National Labour Commission.
