The Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission, Ofosu Asamoah has said that the demand by the teacher unions for Cost Living Allowance (COLA) is an appeal to the government.

Speaking on Top Story, Friday, he noted that COLA was not part of the contractual agreement between the teachers and government.

According to him, the teachers should therefore not blackmail their employers with a strike action.

“It is an appeal. You will go and appeal and then you threaten that if you do not listen, I will lay my tools down. Instead of them to make themselves as if they were businessmen…I always say when we talk about government, it is not a machine that has come from somewhere to sit down. It is you and I who have the opportunity either to be appointed or voted into power to manage others, that is government,” he said.

Mr. Ofosu Asamoah bemoaned the fact that all teachers are on strike for an allowance they are appealing for.

“Teachers ask for 20 percent and before we could say jack over 200,000 students have been left in schools and over 65,000 teachers are sitting home when leadership of just 12 are negotiating. If the 12 are negotiating, can’t the rest go back to teach? Will all the 65,000 have to stay home before government listens?” he asked.

Reacting to the comment by Ofosu Asamoah, National Chairperson of the Public Workers’ Union, Ken Koduah said “these are some of the comments that are not appealing to workers and rather aggravate their concerns.”

Meanwhile, staff of about 69 public sector institutions have decided to put to vote a motion on whether or not to lay down their tools as a result of the situation.

Aggrieved management committee executives of these entities converged in Accra to determine their next line of action as the government engaged in last-minute talks with the Labour Commission to ensure that the workers’ concerns are addressed.

The Union of Public Services Workers’ Union of TUC (PSWU), with a total of over 27,000 workers, are up in arms over the government’s reluctance to heed their call for a Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).

The agitated workers comprise members from agencies such as Bui Power Authority, Ghana Airports Company Limited, Ghana Meteorological Agency, Public Utilities Regulatory Commission and a host of others.