TUC’s effort to better worker’s cost of living thwarted

Mr. Kofi Asamoah - TUC Boss 

It is about six months now since the chairman of the Trade Union Congress, Mr. Kofi Asamoah indicated that workers have come to their tether and could no longer bear the hardship in the country. He spoke on behalf of the informal workers and further cited the abnormal rise in cost of transport, foods, accommodation, including the sharp fall of the cedi as some of the nuts that needs to be cleft in order to remedy the economy.

He made this statement at a live interview on Joy News in early February, “of course there is hardship now” he undeniably admitted.This is how Joy news put it verbatim “Things are getting out of hand in Ghana – TUC confesses”

But one may ask, six months down the line since the authorities were made aware of the conditions that workers and citizens of Ghana are going through, thus if they claimed they did not realize, what have they been able to do to save the situation.

The absurd economic despondencies are having adverse implications on the salaries of workers, which demand immediate interventions from the central government.

In July 2013, the Trades Union Congress (TUC) issued a statement on the state of the Ghanaian economy. In that statement they raised serious concerns about the health of the economy and its implications for the working people of Ghana and their families. They petitioned the gov’t for a significant upward adjustment of wages required to cushion workers from the economic current economic hardship.

Despite all this intervention by the TUC to better the living conditions of Ghanaian workers, it seems things are rather worsening on daily basis. B&LG reporters were on the street to speak to some members of the public on their opinion on whether the massive demonstrations and petitions sought by the TUC did yield result. They said the current government has failed workers in all sphere, arguing their point from the present challenges being faced in the country. Others believe that things can still be better if gov’t heed to the advice of experts and remain truthful to Ghanaian by providing the people with the true reflection of the state of the economy especially in figures.

It is widely believed by most Ghanaian that some of the figures that apparently reflect the height of the economy are not realistic; they noted that the exchange and inflation rates standing at GH₵3.05 and 15.30% respectively as published by BoG do not reveal the true state of the economy.

But that notwithstanding, it’s imperative for the TUC to again call on the gov’t to fulfill its duties to the hard working people of the country.