Spare Mahama’s 2-month old gov’t - Ayariga tells labour

The 2012 Presidential Candidate of the opposition People’s National Convention (PNC), Hassan Ayariga, has said labour unions should spare the Mahama administration the festering turmoil.

As far as he is concerned, Mahama’s Government is only two-months old and must be given space and time to put things in place.

He argues that though President John Mahama was elected into office in December 2012, his administration was distracted, ab initio, by the eight-months legal battle over his legitimacy at the Supreme Court.

Ayariga told Strict Proof that the incessant strikes by various labour unions and organisations, in themselves, constitute a major distraction to Mahama’s young administration.

His comments come on the heels of a raging national debate over national security Advisor, Brigadier General Nunoo Mensah’s recent harangue against public sector workers whom he described as “undisciplined” for their unending strikes.

The Civil and Local Government Staff Association of Ghana (CLOGSAG) is currently on strike in demand for its market premium arrears.

The Ashanti regional branch of the Polytechnic Teachers Association (POTAG) has also given the Government up to the end of October to defray the arrears of its members’ market premium arrears for the last quarter of 2012.

Also, the Ghana Trades Union Conference (TUC) has given the Government a 10-day ultimatum to slash recently increased utility tariffs or face the wrath of its members.

Other unions such as the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) just suspended its strike for two weeks to allow negotiations to resume with the hope of resolving its concerns.