The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has heightened demand for the immediate payment of Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) for all public sector workers.

According to the General Secretary of the Congress, Dr Yaw Baah, proposals have been sent to the government on their 20% COLA and they expect expeditious actions.

He told JoyNews they will be left with no option than to embark on industrial actions if nothing is done about their demand.

“They have not thought about COLA; nobody has called us to talk about COLA and that is the reason we wrote. We thought that after our special appeal to the President on May Day, he would take us seriously but we didn’t hear anything from him or any of the ministers.

“So, we have written formally asking him to pay and that letter went only on Monday [June 27]. We have time; we are not just interested in doing things to harm the economy. We are expecting government to start discussing the COLA with us,” he told JoyNews’ Samuel Mbura.

Meanwhile, government is expected to reach an agreement with some teacher unions by close of day, Thursday, June 30.

The unions include: the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Coalition of Concerned Teachers and the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT).

According to the Deputy Labour Minister, Bright Wireko-Brobbey, government is hopeful of reaching a conclusion with the groups.

“I am still waiting for signals for us to meet where all stakeholders will be brought on board and the outcomes of those meetings will be laid bare to you [teachers]. Let’s keep our fingers crossed.

"The fact that times are hard is trite knowledge. It is a reality. Our largest workforce as a country is teachers, and I must confess that public sector workers must be commended.”