Organized Labour Agitations, Threat To National Peace And Stability

Some sections of the public on Wednesday called on the leaders of Organised Labour to rescind their decision of a nation-wide demonstration on July 24, 2014.

According to them, the hardships facing the country are not peculiar to Ghana, and appealed to all and sundry to support government to enable the country come out of the crisis instead of worsening the case by such demonstrations and strike actions.

They said Ghana is known to be a peaceful country and if we begin to resort to strike actions and demonstrations to �drum home our demands, then we are telling the international community, especially investors, that the country is no more safe to invest in, and when investors decide to divert their investments to other countries, what that means is that they will go with the jobs and we all stand to lose.

�Going out on demonstrations will nether solve the economic hardships we currently find ourselves in, nor will it bring money into our pockets. I think what we should be doing as patriotic citizens at this time is to use dialogue,� Adnan Adams Mohammed, News Editor, Economy Times said.

Speaking to Ghana News Agency in an interview in Accra, he said the current crisis was largely as a result of the implementation of the Single Spine Pay Policy to bridge the gap between wages and salaries of public sector workers, and advised that Organised Labour should concentrate on measures to increase productivity in the public sector to enhance economic growth and the country�s chance of creating wealth.

�Every country with enough wealth will pay its workers well, as well as cater for the entire citizenry through provision of infrastructure and other social amenities. So as patriotic citizens we appeal to leaders of Organised Labour to call off the intended nation-wide demonstration and use dialogue to address their concerns,� he added.

Mr Kojo Asante Okine, a business man, told the GNA that his fear is that some opportunists could easily take advantage of the nation-wide demonstration to cause mayhem, and thereby disturb the peace and stability of the country.

He said: �we are all affected by the current crisis as the cost of everything increase, and there is no money in the system but I think the way forward is for us to check ourselves and change our lifestyles to suit the situation in which we find ourselves, until the time that we are able to put things right as a country.

�I believe strongly that Ghanaians as individuals have a role to play in reversing the challenges. If we can identify certain aspects of our lifestyles which are making it difficult for us to cope with the current situation, and do away with them, I think it will help us as individuals, �he added.

Ms Gladys Mafio, a Chop Bar Owner, also appealed to Ghanaians, especially Organised Labour, to listen to the plea of Government to call off the demonstration and open up for dialogue.

�You see, the hardship has already come and what we should be doing now as citizens is how to assist government in our small ways, those at them at the helm of affairs, to fix the economy quickly so that we can all be happy again.

�Whatever the problem is, we only have to use dialogue and diplomacy to solve it. I believe that dialogue is the best way to go at this time and I will like to use the opportunity to plead with the leaders of Organised Labour to listen to the pleas from various quarters to call off their action, for the sake of the peace we are currently enjoying in the country,� she added.

Organised Labour is intending to organise a nation-wide demonstration on Thursday, July 24 to highlight the economic hardships in the country.

Meanwhile, the Minister for Employment and Labour Relations, Mr Iddrissu Haruna, has issued a statement pleading with the leadership to rescind their decisions and come for dialoguing.

The Leaders agreed to meet the Minister, but insist to carry on with the demonstration.

Source: GNA