It is heartbreaking hearing that TUC boss Dr. Yaw Anthony Baah is once again in the process of getting compromised ahead of the Tripartite Committee Meeting to negotiate for 2023 salaries of public sector workers.
Information available to our Coalition and ADAM-GH suggest that, under the watch of Dr. Baah a technical committee was set to come out with proposals for the base pay of public sector workers against 2023 for subsequent deliberation at the Tripartite Committee Meeting.
Thissaid committee came out with their recommendations of 12.9% as the highest base pay increase for 2023.
The tripartite Committee Meeting which was scheduled on 5th July 2023 to deliberate on the recommendations of sub technical committee findings had to be called off at the eleventh hour due to the poor work done by Dr. Baah and his team.
It will interest you to know that the Minister who is the employer rather called off the meeting and redirected the technical committee to go back and do due diligence. Who is now fighting workers’ interest here?
Prior to the meeting, questions were asked about the 33% inflation rate as against the paltry 12.9% recommended by that so-called technical committee. The report was so bad that the said proposal had to be withdrawn immediately and the meeting called off whilst effort was made to conceal the content of the technical committee recommendations from the media.
ADAM-GH and Coalition Against Leadership of TUC and Organize Labor wishes to urge workers all over the country to be on standby and alert awaiting the announcement of the 2023 base pay, and if it turns out to be less than the 33% inflation rate, we are occupying the TUC building this time around. Dr. Baah’s disposition always gives him as an appendage of government other than representative of the ordinary Ghanaian worker a narrative we will want to change in the coming days when he and his cronies capitulate to any pressures of any unseen hands that has the tendency to further exacerbate the already miserable condition of the ordinary Ghanaian worker.
Enough is enough! There will be no room this time around for Dr. Baah and his cohorts negotiate into their pocket again come 2023 as he prepares for his retirement the same year.
This whole dubious manipulation began when the Government’s formula used to calculate minimum wage through bank of Ghana projections was introduced. Unfortunately, Bank of Ghana projections of 2022 inflation rate is 8% instead of the current 33% inflation rate. One might wonder whether the Bank of Ghana with its renowned economist lives in space and not Ghana. Dr. Yaw Anthony Baah also sat down and allowed the sub technical committee to use the Bank of Ghana projections of 8% inflation rate to calculate 2023 minimum wage and salary increment. The sub technical committee set-up by the tripartite came out with their recommendations that workers’ salary should be increased by 12.9% for 2023 and minimum wage should be Ghc14.00.
Now the question is; Who does Dr. Yaw Anthony Baah represent? Is the Bank of Ghana living in space and does not know the current inflation rate? What kind of economist do we have at the Bank of Ghana and how did they come by their projections of 8% inflation rate by the end of 2022?
Why should Dr. Baah and TUC allow the sub- technical committee to go and bring proposals based on Bank of Ghana projections of 8% instead of the current inflation rate? What criteria was used to select the members of the sub- technical committee who acted cluelessly?
Why should TUC toy with workers destiny at the tripartite committee meeting?
What is Dr. Yaw Anthony Baah interest in this?
Why should it take the minister who represents the employer to redirect that the sub-technical committee should go and change the Bank of Ghana projections of 8% inflation rate and use the actual inflation rate?
We now understand why these corrupt union leaders went to one tripartite committee meeting and approved a two years salary increment of 4% and 7% for 2021 and 2022 respectively. This time around we workers are following the activities of the tripartite closely and we will not leave any stone unturned to ensure the right thing is done taking into cognisance the utmost interest of the Ghanaian workers. Never again should we allow Dr. Yaw Anthony Baah and his cronies at the TUC to negotiate 2023 salaries into their pockets to the detriment of ordinary workers. Workers all over the country must be on guard ahead of the 2023 salary negotiations and that anything less than 33% inflation rate will be fiercely resisted.
Our warning to Dr. Baah is that if he is going on retirement come 2023 please he should go in peace. He cannot further mess up the destiny of workers before leaving. Never again!
It is unfortunate the Government has succeeded in creating serious division and infighting amongst the top Union leaders because all of them are in bed with the government, trying earnestly to seek personal favors instead of workers welfare. Dr. Yaw Anthony Baah of TUC and Bampoe Addo of CLOGSAG are now sitting on tenterhooks battling each other in court because of who should be the number one “darling boy” to President Nana Addo in the labor front. There is a saying that “When two elephants are fighting it is the grass which suffers” and workers are the suffering grass in this situation due to the selfish interest of these two union leaders.
Signed.
Azubila Emmanuel Abdul-Salam Executive Secretary Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana ADAM-GH./Coalition Against Leadership of TUC and Organize Labor Contact: 0544428072/0507629533.
Anthony Mocke
Public Relations Officer.
Contact: 0244255463
Ibrahim A. Mumuni
Director of Operations.
Contact: 0243486397