Lessons from the May Day Presidential aspirant's messages

Fellow Ghanaians and well-wishers, we have just celebrated the annual Labour Day on May the 1st. The workers of Ghana and the world have been recognised and, rightly so. The aim of this article is to examine what the gentlemen who wish to lead our country after the next general elections, plan to do for the workers of Ghana and, what improvements they have in their plans for future generations of workers; the backbone of our economy.

As far as I can tell, only three prospective leaders had a message for workers on the day. These three were Prof J.E. Atta-Mills, our former vice –president and flag bearer for the NDC in the elections, come December 2008. The other two were Mr Boakye Agyarko and Dr. Arthur Kobina Kennedy both of whom are gentlemen from the NPP, putting their case forward to be elected by their party to lead it against Prof Atta-Mills in December 2008.

Mr. Boakye Agyarko’s comments were culled from an earlier report on him, in which he outlined a few important and interesting measures, which he felt would improve the welfare and wellbeing of Ghanaian workers. He said he would provide better socio-economic standards, healthcare and living conditions; were he to become Head of State.

It seems quite ironic that, to the best of my knowledge, none of the other contestants, especially from the NPP camp, provided Ghanaians with an official communiqué with ideas and plans for the workers on their special day, in spite of the serious challenges the masses of workers face in these times. Given that efforts are made at every opportunity to advertise themselves, it is unfortunate that we did not hear from the other hopefuls.

At this time, I shall concentrate on the messages from Prof Atta-Mills and Dr. Kobina Kennedy since there is published material to refer to. In comparing the two messages, it may help us to look at the two men from another standpoint. Both men are Fantis from the Central region and are unassuming and humble gentlemen.

Prof Atta-Mills who has twice narrowly failed to win in his bid to lead the country is representing the old guard in terms of being someone, who has been given a chance to rule and show what he can do whilst he was vice president in the NDC government. The NDC’s Prof stated that workers should hold tight and look forward to the day when a better government took charge. (He no doubt meant himself.) He noted the depressing situation which workers faced on a daily basis. He stated “There is no denying the fact that as a nation, we are in crisis no matter which angle it is looked at from.” He mentioned the difficulties businesses faced due to the frequent power failure and the load shedding exercise. His message was a rallying call to the workers of the nation for whom he felt a lot of compassion.

Since both gentlemen touched on practically the same issues, in terms of the difficulties being faced by the working population in the country, I shall not list the criticisms made by the NPP’s Dr Kobina Kennedy, who stated that “Despite the progress by the NPP administration in stabilizing the economy, over the last six years, Ghana still faces significant challenges on the labour front.” He outlined some practical solutions and suggestions to be executed for a difference to be made in the lives of Ghanaians, whether or not, his or another government was in power. After all, whatever the shade of government, we need things to improve for all of us. He called for the promotion implementation of aggressive job creation policies and strategies which would provide long term security in working conditions. Dr Kennedy gave examples from existing local industries such as the mechanics of Suame Magazine on how modern technology can be used to improve their productivity. “Improving productivity is the pre-requisite that will make possible the living wages that all workers want and deserve.” Here he suggested that partnerships be formed between government, the workers and the centres of higher education, so that continuous and further training be offered by these institutions. His example was that modern cars needed more computer literate trained mechanics, therefore courses should be made available to them, in order that they do not become redundant, for the lack of up to date training.

Further to this Dr Kennedy offered suggestions for the workers to have something to work toward. His suggestion was to create a system whereby workers could undertake a form of mortgage by borrowing from their pension, with government making a contribution, to pay for a deposit on a retirement home. The message was not only directed to the workers facing hardship. It incorporated visionary plans for industry which will invest and create more employment for Ghanaian workers. His view was that more had to be done to protect local businesses and production. He talked about closer government input in the area of standards and regulations, to stop the abuse of child labour and to set a level playing field for businesses and conditions for workers to work within.

All-in-all, Dr Arthur Kennedy’s message was a critique of our current situation and a message of hope for the future, backed by ideas and credible suggestions as to how those ideas will be shaped to realise the desired effects. I make these comparisons because both statements/press releases touch on Ghana’s problems. I think it is encouraging to know that some of our prospective leaders have the plight of nation’s workers at heart. I would like to encourage all aspiring leaders to inform the public of their vision and ideas for our beloved country. For now, all I will say is; well done Prof Atta-Mills, Mr Boakye Agyarko and Dr Kobina Kennedy.