Minister of State in charge of Special Initiatives, Dr Rashid Pelpuo, says his tenure as Minister for Labour, Jobs and Employment helped avert about 90% of planned industrial actions by organised labour.

According to Dr Pelpuo, 17 potential strike actions had been reported by various worker groups when he assumed office. He said his ministry prioritised dialogue and negotiations with the affected groups to address their concerns and prevent disruptions to public services.

“We had meetings with them, we listened to them, we cooperated, they cooperated. We got to a point where almost 90% of them gave up their strike actions,” he said.

Speaking on Citi FM on Thursday, August 27, Dr Pelpuo said the government’s approach involved engaging labour leaders, understanding the issues behind the planned strikes and working with relevant stakeholders to find solutions.

“Almost everywhere, they said they were going on strike,” he said.

He cited the decision by the Ghana Association of University Administrators (GAUA) to suspend its planned strike as one example of the outcome of such engagements.

Dr Pelpuo said GAUA presented its concerns to the Labour Ministry, after which discussions were held with the workers and the Ministry of Education to resolve the issues.