Labour Union Reacts to Review of Article 71 Officeholders’ Salaries and Privileges
Labour Union Reacts to Review of Article 71 Officeholders’ Salaries and Privileges
In response to the formation of the Dr. Janet Ofori committee tasked with evaluating the salaries and privileges of Article 71 officeholders, some labour unions are cautioning that they may insist on wage hikes and improved working conditions if the committee recommends an increase for this specific category of public servants.
President Akufo Addo’s inauguration of the committee on August 30, 2023, aimed to address the ongoing debate surrounding the compensation of Article 71 Officeholders, considering the concerns raised by the public.
Reacting to this development, Prof. Ransford Gyampoh, the President of the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) at the University of Ghana branch, expressed concerns about the potential implications of an upward adjustment in Article 71 officeholders’ benefits. He argued that given the current fiscal state of the nation, such an increase would be unfavorable to the general populace.
“What I know is that, for them, for members of the committee, a review will mean upward adjustment. And so sometimes it’s even funny, it’s even ridiculous. These are committee members who themselves are public servants who earn pittance.
“Yet they sit down to think that politicians who often times come to rape the nation and milk the nation dry are more intelligent and better than all other public servants and so they must always adjust their salary upward,” he said.
Low salaries
Prof. Gyampoh criticized the committee members, who themselves are public servants earning relatively low salaries, for seemingly favoring politicians with frequent salary adjustments. He questioned the perception that politicians, often accused of exploiting the nation’s resources, are considered more deserving of salary increases than other public servants.
Additionally, Prof. Gyampoh, in his role as UTAG-UG President, vowed to leverage any available opportunity, including this situation, to advocate for improved conditions of service for his colleagues.
“Look, I am now President of UTAG-UG. I am looking forward to more instances where we are going to fight for better conditions of services,” he said.
As the debate continues, the possibility of labour unions pushing for wage hikes and better working conditions remains a significant consideration in the ongoing discussions regarding Article 71 officeholders’ emoluments.
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source;myjoyonline.com
