Accra, Feb 16, GNA – Mr Ignatius Baffour-Awuah, the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations, has charged the new Board of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to ensure a peaceful and productive labour front.
He said it had become necessary for the Commission to do so because the current series of unrest being experienced on the labour front was counterproductive and could stifle national social-economic progress.
He noted that the agitations required building of trust and consistent engagement between the Commission and all Labour Unions in resolving the condition of service of public sector workers.
Mr Baffour-Awuah said this when he swore in the seven-member Board of the Commission at a short ceremony in Accra on Tuesday.
He noted that the challenges of the past were “far different from today and tomorrow”, because “even at the early stage of our second mandate, we’re seeing signs of turbulence on the labour front and clearly, it has to do with one condition of service or the other.”
“I want you to play a frontal role, and seriously engage in some of the negotiations with your rich experience. We want a very peaceful, productive, and good labour front that is ready to cooperate with to achieve the best for our nation.”
On the ongoing strike by the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), the Minister charged the Board to be “as fast as possible in handling it without compromising quality.”
“Even if we want to resolve this issue of UTAG and have a lasting solution to it, to a greater extent depend on how successful we debate the outcome of the labour market survey and use it to solve most of this condition of service of public sector workers”
Mr Baffour-Awuah also urged the Board to regularly engage Labour and not wait until negotiations are to be made on public sector salaries.
“This would enable us build trust in ourselves so that when issues come up, everybody, irrespective of where you’re coming from, will be able to the appreciate the issues,” he said, adding, “I would want you to be very proactive; don’t wait for issues to come before you try to solve them.”
He noted that it was important for the Commission to quickly get the input of the Labour Unions on the recent labour market survey conducted by the Ghana Statistical Service (GSS) to carve a new way forward in ending labour unrests.
Chairperson of the Board, Mr Michael Yaw Owusu-Nimako, expressed appreciation to President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for the confidence reposed in them and pledged their commitment to work to justify their inclusion on the body.
He said that the current happenings on the labour front required that the Commission “hits the ground sprinting,” to resolve all outstanding issues among various labour unions.
Other members of the Commission include Dr Isaac Osei- Akoto, Vice Chairperson, Mr Benjamin Arthur, Acting Chief Executive Officer (CEO), FWSC, Mr Joseph Kingsley Amuah, Mrs Emma Ofori Agyemang, Mrs Florence Mangwe Hutchful, and Mrs Esther Serwaah Afreh.
GNA