Workers cannot be allowed to suffer alone in these ‘hard times’, GFL
Inflation hits 19.4% in March 2022
The Ghana Federation of Labour has added its voice to calls for the increment of salaries of public sector workers.
According to the Deputy Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour, Kenneth Koomson, salary increments should be made to match the current inflation rate of the country.
In an interview with CitiNews he said workers cannot be allowed to suffer alone in “these hard times.”
“With the current inflation of 19.4%, we can’t be expected to live by the meager salaries we are receiving. It has been projected that the inflation will worsen, government cannot expect us to keep living like this. We are going by the formula, inflation has been pegged at 19.45, our salary adjustments should be made around this figure, anything below this will be unfair and our members will not be happy about it.”
Kenneth Koomson also bemoaned the fact that government despite its challenges have been able to increase salaries of officials exponentially.
“There was already a huge gap between Article 71 office holders and workers under the single spine.
"The base pay was increased by 7%, minimum wage by 8%, while Article 71 holders had theirs increased by 80% and SOEs had theirs increased between 34% and 40%. We agreed with government that considering the excesses with covid-19 and the mass lay-off across the world, we would be considerate enough not to pressure government for salary increment."
"Before we realized it, Article 71 holders had increased their salaries exponentially. What message did they communicate to us? This did not communicate that we are indeed in desperate times.”
“In industrial relations practice across the world, those at the bottom receive more than those at the top. The idea is the inequality that has to be reduced because essentially, we all go to the same market,” he added.
Inflation for the month of March has been pegged at 19.4%, the highest rate recorded since August 2009.
The rise in inflation will mean that interest rates will continue surging resulting in the rise in the cost of credit.
The Ghana Statistical Service stated that foodstuffs such as Oil and Fats (28.2%), Water (27.1%), Cereal Products (25.0%), Vegetables (23.8%), Fish and Other Seafood (23.7%), Fruits and Nuts (22.1%), Soft Drinks (20.5%) and Live Animals and Meat (20.2%) recorded inflation rate, higher than the national average.
Transport which includes fuel recorded the highest inflation rate of 27.6%, followed by Housing which was 21.4%.
The figures showed that food inflation recorded a rate of 22.4% in March 2022, away from the 17.4% recorded in February 2022.
Kenneth Koomson is Deputy Secretary-General of the Ghana Federation of Labour\