Organised Labour Expresses Worry Over Proposed Employment Freeze in Government Sector

Organised Labour has challenged the government to reverse the decision to freeze employment in the public and civil services as stated in the 2023 budget by the Finance Ministry.

They have urged the government to be clear on the freeze, asking whether it is a total or net freeze, and were quick to state that the government must factor in the backlog of the employment situation in the country.

“If the government places a freeze on employment, which is already nonexistent, the unemployment rate will have a devastating effect on livelihoods, particularly for the youth,” they stated.

The members made these revelations at a post-budget forum in Accra organized by the Trade Union Congress (TUC) in collaboration with the Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) Foundation.

In an address, the Secretary General of the TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah, said Ghanaian workers are going through economic difficulties and, as a result, are not able to make ends meet; hence, the TUC is calling for an increment of 60% in salaries to enable workers to have a decent salary and meet basic needs as well as household needs.

According to him, the economic challenges have led to a lack of confidence in the governance of the country and have also created a negative impact on the socio-economic development of the country as well as on the citizenry.

“The country has gone through and witnessed economic hardship, thus prudent measures should be put in place with the collective effort of all stakeholders to help address the high cost of living,” he added.

For his part, the General Secretary of the General Agriculture Worker’s Union (GAWU), Mr. Edward Kareweh, said the budget did not spell out policies to curb the high cost of importation of goods and had virtually crippled local production.

“The budget failed to address issues relating to food security and sovereignty,” he said, adding that the 2023 budget did not focus on solving the country’s economic challenges but rather engaged the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on policies that are to the detriment of the citizenry, particularly job cuts and a freeze on employment, among others.