Tema-Ghana, Dec. 22, MNN – The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has expressed concern about the political infiltration into the labour front which is being exploited to disarm organized labour and deepen internal conflicts among labour unions.
Mr Abraham Koomson, GFL Secretary General was speaking at the Ghana News Agency Tema Industrial News Hub Platform and said it was inappropriate for any labour union leader to put his or her political interests above the needs of workers.
He expressed concern that almost all labour unions issued individual statements against the imposition of cuts on pension funds as part of the Government’s debt exchange programme aimed at supporting the country’s economic recovery.
He stressed that political propagandists who have worked their way into the leadership of some labour unions have rendered organized labour impotent, dormant, and unable to effectively and efficiently represent and fight for the interest of workers in the country.
He noted that the act of issuing different statements by the various unions was a sign of weakness in the labour fonts and called for pragmatic solutions to curb the menace.
Mr Koomson who has been on the labour front since the early 1980s revealed that any government that sees that labour leaders are not united would exploit it
He condemned people who occupy positions solely for their selfish interest saying “some people fight for position in labour unions for something different reasons other the interest of workers, they come to make money without regards to workers whose interest they seek to serve”.
Labour unions including the Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), Ghana Registered Nurses and Midwives Association (GRNMA), National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), Ghana Medical Association (GMA), Ghana Chamber of Commerce and the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) among others issued their separate statements.
Mr Koomson considered the action as disturbing and a sign of a disorganized labour front, stressing that quite interestingly all the unions vowed to resist any attempt by the government to reduce the value of pension funds of their members which are in institutional bonds.
Mr Francis Ameyibor, Ghana News Agency Tema Regional Manager called for a dynamic shift in the labour front where some employers only seek profitability at the expense of the worker.
He said dynamic employers seek the ultimate welfare of the employee through coordinated programmes and create a conducive working environment.
