The Public Services Workers have stated they would begin an indefinite strike on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 in order to seek an increase in their pay and the resolution of unresolved workers compensation-related concerns.
The Public Services Workers Union claims that due to ongoing price increases, a continual decline in the real value of public sector workers' relatively low wages, an 18-year high inflation rate of 27.6%, and a number of unresolved issues, its members have no choice but to go on strike until their issues are resolved.
The choice was made in response to growing worker protests and/or strike threats over cost-of-living allowance requests.
According to a statement from PSWU, the emergency meeting of its management committee and representatives from the more than 65 institutions that make up the union was where the decision to strike was made.
Bernard Adjei, the general secretary of the PSWU, also claimed the following in the statement:
It should also be remembered that organised labour organisations, including the PSWU, made the difficult decision to accept a 4 percent and 7 percent salary increase for the years 2021 and 2022, to the dismay of their members, as patriotic citizens and social partners in the development of Mother Ghana. However, given current developments, including Government spending trends and very significant wage increases for "Article 71" and associated office holders, we are concerned that the sacrifices made by Organized Labor throughout the Last discussions were assumed to be successful. The Government's failure to issue a mandate for the negotiation of institution-specific terms of service for a number of organisations under the Single Spine and occasionally using delay strategies during talks make the situation even worse.
"The more than 27,000 employees of the more than 65 public sector organisations that comprise the PSWU feel the pinch in their wallets, and each passing day makes it more difficult for them to satisfy their fundamental demands. The economic concerns that public sector employees confront are undoubtedly made worse by a potential return to the IMF, which also brings back unpleasant labour laws that harm the average worker.
"Notably, a decision to enter an IMF programme risk a return to a harsh industrial environment rife with conditions such as the sale of critical and well-performing national assets, redundancies, freezes on employment, and wage freezes (an intention denied by His Excellency the President during his Remarks at the 11th Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the TUC (Ghana) on the 23rd March, 2021)."
"Furthermore, the mismatch in their lump sum payouts as compared to those who resigned under PNDCL 247 has not been rectified for a number of workers who retired under the National Pensions (Amendment) Act, 2014 (Act 883) that came into full force on January 1, 2020.
Due to this, the elderly, who are already vulnerable parts of our society, are now experiencing further financial challenges, despite the President's explicit promises to address the issue as early as October 13, 2020, during the frenzied Election Campaign.
Our members were forced to start a strike action on Tuesday, July 19, 2022 until our concerns were resolved as a result of an emergency meeting of the management committee and representatives from the more than 65 institutions that make up the PSWU.