[ 2014-07-21 ]

Utility tariffs automated but our salaries are static- GMA President
President of the Ghana Medical Association, Dr.
Kwabena Opoku Adusei says workers can no longer
cope with the present economic situation where
utility tariffs are placed on automated adjustment
system while salaries have remained static.

According to Dr. Opoku Adusei, the state of
affairs of the economy has rendered workers poorer
as their earnings cannot take care of their upkeep
due to the rising cost of living coupled with the
continuous dwindling value of the Ghana cedi
against its major trading currencies.

Organised labour on Friday announced a nationwide
strike this Thursday with demonstration to demand
a reduction in the recent 23% upward adjustment in
the prices of petroleum products, 15% increment in
transport fares and press for better conditions.

Speaking on the Super Morning Show on Joy FM,
Monday, Dr. Opoku-Adusei stated that the GMA is
actively involved in the planning of the
nationwide industrial action. He said executives
of the Association will hold discussions on how
their members can participate in the protest
march.

He described government as being insensitive to
the pligt of Ghanaians even though workers have
made several appeals to government to come to
their aid.

"We met with higher authority; we were instructed
to meet the then Minister for Employment and
Labour Relations (Nii Armah Ashitey); a common MoU
[Memorandum of Understanding] he refused to sign.
I don't know whether this new Labour Minister
[Haruna Iddrisu] will be different" .

"We are talking about continuous increase in
utilities tariffs...we are talking about this
automated tariff adjustment system when our
salaries are not automated...generally about the
high cost of living where people's salaries and
incomes are static and dwindling against the
dollar," he stated.

UTAG joining POTAG
In a related development, the University Teachers
Association of Ghana (UTAG) has hinted of
embarking on industrial action over nonpayment of
their book and research allowance.

President of UTAG, Dr. Ofori Bekoe announced on
the Show that: "We will soon be reopening for the
next academic year [and] the issue has not been
resolved and as we are going into the next
academic year we are not sure where we are going
to get our tools to work with".

"...We can't work with our bare hands...if our
tools are given us then we will work [but] if not,
we cannot continue to go to work," Dr. Ofori Bekoe
affirmed.

The threat by UTAG comes on the heels of a similar
action taken by members of the Polytechnic
Teachers Association of Ghana (POTAG), who have
since May 2014 vacated the lecture halls in
protest over government's delay in the release of
their book and research allowance.

The action has forced the institutions to announce
a nationwide shut down till date.

Source - MyjoyOnline

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