Joy 99.7 FM held a stakeholders’ forum that sought to address the many public sector strikes that has plagued the country. Barely a week after GNAT, NAGRAT and TEWU suspended a week-long strike, UTAG has also begun their strike after a meeting with government for a payment plan for the arrears of the 2012 market premium hit a snag. Doctors as well as Government Pharmacists have also rung the alarm bells for a possible industrial action. The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission, the state institution tasked to address the grievances of public sector workers has admitted that the incessant strike actions have put a lot of pressure on them. The unrest at the labour front has been a major source of worry for the president with the Chief of Staff, Prosper Bani, becoming the chief negotiator between government, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission and the aggrieved workers. Bani has achieved some successes as well as failures. Some of the public sector workers returned from the negotiating table and suspended their strike action. Others too have resolved to continue their strike until all their grievances have been met. Your Super Station and thought leader- Joy FM- has all the stakeholders under one roof at the Coconut Groove Regency Hotel to address the teething challenges in the labour front. Officials from the National Labour Commission, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), University Teachers Association of Ghana(UTAG), Tertiary Education Workers Union (TEWU), the Ghana Medical Association, (GMA) as well as officials from the Ministries of Finance and Employment will brainstorm on the issue of labour agitations and find a lasting solution to the problem. Live Updates The forum begins with a brief introduction by host of Joy FM's Super Morning Show Kojo Oppong Nkrumah and spells out Modalities for the forum. Officials of the Labour Unions will have few minutes to lay bare their frustrations and grievances in the Big Issues Dr Justice Yamson- Ghana Medical Association Government should prioritize labour issues. Labour drives the country, so that government must see labour as partners and not servants. The big issue is that government does not take them seriously in many of the negotiations. Fair Wages must be blamed but we are sympathetic. Leadership-Government, Labour Commission and FWSC- should be offered consultants who would explain issues to them before they meet the various labour unions. The officials went wayward in the implementation of the Single Spine. The major issue which is market premium has been misunderstood by leadership and has been implemented without guidelines and that has been a major problem with the implementation of the SSSS. Labour Commission must be resourced. Because they are not well resourced they are unable to implement key decisions. Government must given them true independence by providing them with the necessary human and financial resources. Dr Anthony Simmons, (UTAG) When Fair Wages signs communiqué they must respect it as well as the schedule for payment. Most often FWSC does not respect communiqué they sign on to. Kwabena Nyarko, TUC Designing a new salary structure to bring on board over 500,000 staff would come with its challenges and should not demoralize people. It appears government does not understand the implications for the SSSS. Industrial relations must be taken very seriously. We have not invested in social dialogue to address some of the challenges. Government officials do not see industrial relations important. The Labour Commission has only one office in Accra with seven part time Commissioners. Government engages with workers only when there are disputes. Between industrial peace and national security the state must invest properly in building institution for social dialogue. Going forward we must respect agreements and take a holistic view of the conduct of industrial relations in the country. Angel Carbonu: NAGRAT The SSS is being implemented on an old pay structure. The old structure should have been redesigned and restructure the public service before the new system. The whole system has now been turned upside down. Though the system is fine for labour its implementation difficult because it is based on a pre-colonial structure. New salary regime should consider one thing, salary or pay disparity which creates social problem and status problem You must consider what salary disparity exist. All should understand that we are on the new course and all must agree on the ingredients being used. George Smith Graham There are some post migration challenges in the implementation of the SSSS. We have not been able to mange public expectation of the policy. Since it will eliminate inequity in the system, such challenges should be expected. If the new policy is to correct inequity, beneficiaries will praise it, but those who think the old system favoured them will be aggrieved. But the critical issue is how to deal with the grievances. Transition: We put in a transitional arrangement to address these challenges, hence the introduction of interim market premium. Choosing another name like allowance would have been dangerous. There was not enough public education on the new pay policy. The leadership who declare the strikes every day understands the policy. If there are challenges within the rank and file, the leadership must be able to explain to the rank and file the issues in the SSSS. There is a culture of impunity. If you are not happy with FWSC you proceed to labour commission and then to the court if you are not happy with the implementation. Fair Wages has done no wrong. Joseph Ayittey: Parties should know that there are social, economic and political forces that must be considered before the law comes to play. We sometimes overlook those forces. Communication is key in what one does. Most of the issues that have come to our intention indicate that not sufficient communications went on: either side failed to communicate what it is doing to the other.