A senior political science lecturer at the university of Ghana Professor Asah Asante says labour strike, and the tension in the country are avoidable.
“Pressure groups like labour unions have a responsibility to express their members’ interests and concerns. This strike is a true reflection of their role in addressing the issues on the ground. What they have achieved so far is a good first step. They aim to continue and get all the basics right, so at the end of the day, they can sit comfortably in their homes and realize they have achieved the interests of their members.When pressure groups agitate, they create tension in the country and disrupt the political space. Above all, it undermines productivity. If their conditions are not met, man-hours are lost, and labour productivity declines. It is more costly for the government to allow strikes to continue than to address the workers’ demands promptly,” he disclosed in an interview on Morning Starr.
Professor Asante criticized the government’s handling of the situation, suggesting that the lack of early intervention and meaningful negotiations exacerbated the conflict. “This situation was entirely avoidable,Had there been a real attempt to interact with labour representatives and deal with their grievances early on, we would not be dealing with this degree of disruption and tension.”
Professor Asah express that if government don’t meet the conditions, and you allow them to carry on with their threats, man hours are going to be lost and that means that labor productivity will go down. He said “Government must do the needful to resolve these issues quickly, so that workers can return to work, and productivity is not further undermined. The longer workers stay at home, the more the government pays for no work done.”
Regarding current company governance issues, Asante commented at the position of political figures like Richard Ayagba, who criticized the termination of a 60% stake sale. Asante stated Ayagba’s stance however emphasised that the pastimes of people should take precedence he stated “The properties in question are owned by labour, and if they believe the process is not beneficial, they will oppose it. The basic role of a pressure group is to influence government policy and protect the interests of its members.”
Asante reiterated the want for the authorities to keep away from needless conflicts with labour unions, that could undermine productiveness and powerful governance. He referred to as for a balanced illustration of hobbies to save you destiny disputeshe said “Government must learn from these situations and act on sound counsel to build a harmonious relationship with pressure groups.”
Source: Ghana/Starrfm.com.gh/Amartey Mavis Akuorkor
