Audio By Carbonatix
A labour consultant, Austin Gamey has recommended to the government, an approach of frankness and honesty during remuneration negotiations with various labour unions.
The expert believes unions will listen to government should the aforementioned approach be heeded.
Speaking on JoyNews' AM show, Mr Gamey said that "TUC and organised labour are not insensitive."
"They will listen to them and once they have assurance that it is an honest communication that's going on, they'll yield to it," he added.
He cited the agitation for Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) as an example.
"We demanded payment of COLA. I myself was part of the district union that came to Accra to negotiate it. So clearly it's nothing new that's being done. Now we have a labour Law that has made it easier for us to negotiate and we're making it as if we don't have people that can guide us. If they have something to say, they should open up and be frank and honest with them," he said.
Mr. Gamey explained that when government resorts to withholding information from the unions only lead to resistance.
Six labor unions protested against the Domestic Debt Exchange programme to include pensions in order to aid the nation's economic recovery.
They include Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Ghana Chamber of Commerce and the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
Therefore, the unions vowed to oppose any effort by the government to lower the value of their members' institutional bond-backed pension funds.
Following the failure to reach common ground on the matter, Organised Labour declared an indefinite strike which commenced on the 27th of December, 2022.
The Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) Dr. Yaw Baah said although the union's demand had been communicated to the Finance Minister, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta on December 12, 2022, nothing has been done about it.
The Finance Ministry on Wednesday said negotiations on the terms of a domestic debt exchange agreement with local pension funds were continuing and that they would be made public once an agreement on the details is reached.
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