Seth Tekper, a former finance minister, has encouraged the administration to consult labour unions before submitting any suggestions to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
He said that they should also be informed of the conditions that would be implemented as part of the economic recovery programme.
He said that this is the most certain approach for both sides to come to an understanding on matters that have an impact on the members of organised labor's ability to support themselves.
"Government and labour should actively communicate. Even when they are under pressure, you still need to involve labour, he advised. Some union members have warned the administration against the scheme as the country applies for a bailout from the International Monetary Fund (IMF).
Dr. Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, director of the Trades Union Congress' (TUC) Labor Research and Policy Institute, worries that the government's choice to request financial assistance from the IMF may not bode well for employees.
He contends that prior IMF interventions have failed to effectively handle the nation's economic problems and that any action will simply make matters worse for the nation's growth.
"Programmes from the IMF do not provide any long-term, reliable remedies to the nation's challenges. They will scuff at the problem's margins. After three or four years of execution, the country's core issue will still exist.
"IMF programmes as we have traditionally known them would subject Ghanaians to unnecessary suffering and ultimately produce nothing significant in terms of resolving our economic problems," he said. Opinions on the subject are split in the wake of President Akufo-order Addo's to Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta to contact the Fund.
While some Ghanaians protest the plan, others think the Fund's support is essential to rescuing the economy from COVID-19's impacts.
However, Dr. Otoo asserted on JoyNews' The Probe that the Fund is not a one-stop solution to all of the nation's economic issues.
Dr. Otoo criticised the decision to ask the IMF for assistance and suggested that a domestic solution would be wiser to revive the faltering economy.
"We don't believe the IMF has the answers to the many issues this nation is currently experiencing. Going there again after 16 visits would be equivalent to continuing to act in the same way while expecting different outcomes. We believe that's not the path we ought to go down.
He stated on Sunday, "For us, it is regrettable and it is a catastrophic mistake on the part of the administration to decide to engage the IMF.
Meanwhile, in response to requests for the payment of the Cost of Living Allowance, four teacher unions have announced an ongoing statewide strike that will begin on Monday, July 4. (COLA).
The unions, which include the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT), the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU).
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