Lock out striking workers - Prof Adei

Professor Steven Adei, Former Rector of Ghana Institute of Management and Public Administration (GIMPA) has asked Government not to bow to the demands of workers threatening to strike to back their demands for better working conditions.

He says “the government must not give in to these demands. It must stay firm and if needs be it must lock out the striking workers.”

Professor Adei was speaking on TV3’s “Hot issues” on a variety of issues covering education, the national economy and governance.

The programme is yet to be broadcast.

He said the belief that the introduction of the Single Spine Salary Structure is about increasing the salaries of workers.

According to Professor Adei, some salaries have been increased by as much as 200 per cent and yet workers are continuing to make more demands for increases in remuneration.

He said the payment of premium is not for all categories of workers.

“it is a way of providing incentives to direct labour into critical sectors of the national economy.

It is unfortunate that everybody is demanding the payment of premium” he said.

On the recent increases in utility tariffs, Professor Adei said he agreed with the position that corruption and inefficiencies of the utility companies should not be passed on to consumers.

However, he said some increases in tariffs are necessary.

His problem with the utility tariff increases is that it has not been staggered to reduce its impact on the consumer.

On education, he said governments have not taken educational reforms seriously.

He described the change in name form senior Secondary School to Senior High School as useless.