Members of the Coalition Against Leadership of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and Organized Labour embarked on a street protest in the Northern Region capital, Tamale, against the four and seven percent pay rise for 2021 and 2022, respectively.
It is the second of its kind launched by the group after the TUC endorsed the said base pay rise for public sector workers, during negotiations with the government.
Clad in red armbands and clothes, the aggrieved public sector workers marched through the streets of Tamale demanding an upward review of salaries.
They also accused the TUC of acting in bad faith and not fighting for the suffering public sector worker.
“All that we are saying is that we cannot survive with the four percent salary increment and seven percent for next year. Our leaders at the TUC and CLOGSAG have failed us. They went to the Tripartite Committee to negotiate on our behalf. This is very inhumane treatment of public sector workers. And as workers, we will not sit down for three people to decide our fate for us”, said Azubila Salam, an Executive Secretary for the Coalition.
He added: “This is why we are demonstrating to tell the government that they cannot be insensitive to the people working for them. We are suffering and are in debt, so we can’t survive with this low increment. They should increase it, or this labour agitation will continue till things change for us.”
Some of the demonstrators also expressed their frustrations about the increment.
On Wednesday, August 18, 2021, a similar demonstration was held by the group in Accra to drum home their demands against the base pay increase.
The group laments that the leadership of TUC, which is supposed to seek the interest of Ghanaian workers, has instead become a mouthpiece for the government.
They want public sector salaries to be increased by 25% instead.
SOURCE: DAILY MAIL GH
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