No public sector worker was sacked, no salary cuts during COVID pandemic – Akufo-Addo

Organised labour demand 20%

Organized labour calls off strike

Govt agrees to pay 15% COLA

President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has stated that government cares about the state of workers in the country.

According to him, this can be seen through the way the government treated workers during the Coronavirus pandemic, where no public sector worker lost their job as well as no salary cuts.

Speaking at the 2022 annual delegates conference of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) at the Accra Sports Stadium on Saturday, July 16, the President noted that the 15 per cent Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) agreement is in the best interest of the country.

“I want to say big thanks to organized labour for reaching this agreement. Because it then demonstrates also the concerns our party has, always had and will continue to have for the concerns of the workers and the people of Ghana.

“During the pandemic, at the height of the pandemic people had to stay at home, no single worker in the public sector was dismissed, and no salary cuts were visited on the workers in the public sector.

“On the contrary, not only were they paid in full, they also had their jobs protected, we went further to make it possible to organize free water free electricity, for the ordinary people of our country. That is the measure of the concern of the New Patriotic Party for working people in our country,” he said.

Meanwhile, the government has agreed to pay 15% (of base pay) Cost of Living Allowance (COLA) to all public sector workers effective July 1.

This follows recent agitations on the labour front with some groups resorting to strikes to demand the payment of 20% COLA in the wake of the increased cost of living.

Confirming the agreement reached via a Twitter post, Information Minister Kojo Oppong-Nkrumah said the government was committed to ameliorating the plight of Ghanaians during these challenging times.

“Government and organised Labour have concluded negotiations for Cost-of-Living Allowance. A 15% allowance has been agreed upon effective July 1. Govt is keen on mitigating the impact of global challenges on the people of Ghana,” he tweeted.

In further documents sighted by GhanaWeb, per the new agreement, all strike actions by organized labour have been called off immediately and members will return to work.

The agreement was signed by Employment and Labour Relations Minister Ignatius Baffour Awuah, Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress, Dr Anthony Yaw Baah and Finance Minister Ken Ofori-Atta.

SSD/FNOQ