Organized Labour has said that it will reject the government’s plan to introduce a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) in next year’s salaries negotiations instead of increasing the salaries of public sector workers.
COLA is an allowance given to government employees as short-term relief when immediate salary increments cannot be made.
Organized Labour says that it is rejecting the COLA because it won’t have any positive effect on pension payments and other benefits.
Speaking to journalists in Accra, Deputy General Secretary of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Joshua Ansah, said that Organized Labour will demand a rise in salary instead of a mere COLA.
I don’t think it will be wise for us to go for COLA because COLA does not affect our pensions, doesn’t affect our earnings. So we think that it is better for us to go straight and get what is due us. And remember that I made the point that if the government wants to go to the IMF we want to caution the government that their decisions and their conditions should not impact our minimum wage in this country and I think that we will stand by that,” he added.
Meanwhile, Organized Labour has also rejected an offer for a monetary compensation package from Sunon Asogli Power Limited rather than reinstating its dismissed local union executives of the Ghana Mineworkers Union of TUC.
Sunon Asogli had offered to pay the dismissed union leaders a total of GH¢1.2 million as compensation, but Organized Labour has rejected the offer, saying that it wants the union leaders reinstated.
Speaking to the media, Deputy Secretary General of the TUC, Joshua Ansah, said that Organized Labour is not ready to “monetize their rights.”
We are not after money. We are fighting for the principle of the rights of workers,” he said.
Ansah also expressed disappointment with Sunon Asogli for refusing to reinstate the union leaders, saying that the company’s decision is “wrongful.”
We are disappointed that Sunon Asogli is refusing to reinstate the union leaders. Their termination was wrongful, and we believe that they should be reinstated,” he said.
Ansah said that Organized Labour will continue to fight for the reinstatement of the union leaders until the right decision is made.
