Labour, govt must keep talking
Two weeks ago 12 labour unions declared an indefinite strike on matters relating to the implementation of the tier-two pension scheme.
Advertisement
Their decision, according to them, was born out of the fact that negotiations with the government to allow them to decide on the management of the tier-two scheme had failed.
They also called on the government to disclose the whereabouts of the pension accruals, saying some workers would be due for pension by January next year yet nothing was known about the pension fund.
In line with their democratic rights, they decided to embark on strike. Pleas by the government to them to return to work while negotiations went on were ignored.
The government also resorted to the law court and succeeded in securing a judgement that ordered them to return to work while negotiations continue.
The substance of the case, thankfully, is before a court of competent jurisdiction to determine.
The Minister of Communication, Dr Omane Boamah, in a press conference yesterday, called on the striking unions to respect the orders of the court.
It is said that when two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. While the unions and the government lock horns over the issue, it is the ordinary Ghanaian that continues to suffer the consequences.
The education of children in public schools has come to a halt. People in need of medical care are being turned away from the hospitals. Ghanaians are being deprived of essential public services on account of the current strike while government machinery has grinded to a halt.
While both parties in the impasse may have their legitimate concerns, the extent of damage being dealt to the ordinary Ghanaian is irreversible.
Lives that are lost due to the withdrawal of essential services cannot be recovered and the gains we as a nation have made stand the risk of being eroded.
In such situations, negotiation is the best alternative, but here again the Daily Graphic wishes to admonish that one cannot go into negotiations with an entrenched position. One enters into negotiations in the hope of reaching a consensus.
The unions have made their case by embarking on a strike but for the sake of our children, the sick, our pregnant mothers, sisters and daughters, the situation must not be prolonged any further.
We appeal to the hearts of our union leaders to place the interest of the ordinary Ghanaians, including our children, as well as the vulnerable and weak, first.
They should endeavour to return to work while negotiations continue to get the matter amicably settled.
The Daily Graphic also observes that in recent times, there has been much turbulence at the labour front.
The government must be proactive in engaging more with organised labour rather than waiting for situations to get out of hand before making frantic efforts to find solutions.
Whatever the challenges, we expect the parties in dispute to put the nation first in order to find an amicable solution to the impasse.