Tema Workers Demonstrate

True to their threat to embark on a demonstration if the Tripartite Committee failed to announce a new minimum wage without delay, workers of Tema on Wednesday took to the streets in a three-hour demonstration to back their demands.

They gave the government one week to “determine and announce” the new minimum wage, else, they would resort to other forms of action to back their demands.

Organised by the Tema District Council of Labour (TDCL), the workers described the government’s failure to announce the minimum wage as “both insensitive and an attempt to sacrifice the plight of ordinary workers at the altar of politico-economic expediency.”

They wore red arm bands and sang war songs, holding placards some of which read, “Announce minimum wage now or 2004 is coming,” “Austin Gamey, shut your beak and RIP” in reaction to the labour consultant’s warning that government should not raise minimum wage by more than 40 per cent; “Watch your dealings”, “Petrol prices go with wages” and “President, where is the promised living wage?”

According to the council, the delay on the part of the government in coming out with a new minimum wage was making life unbearable for workers.

After marching through parts of Tema, the workers drove to Accra in buses and demonstrated for about an hour at the Ministries, after which their leaders presented a resolution to the Minister of Manpower Development and Employment, Cecilia Bannerman.

The resolution indicated that workers expected new wages and salaries, transport fares and other benefits to be announced concurrently, with the recent increases in fuel prices to mitigate the effects of the hike on their standard of living.

But contrary to their expectation, that did not happen. “Almost 30 clear days after increases in prices of petroleum products with their attendant high rippling effects on goods and services, we have still been left to our fate to struggle with the old daily minimum wage of ?7.150,” it said.

The council therefore, gave the government one week to determine and announce the new minimum wage, saying, ”under these frustrating circumstances, we wish to inform government that any further delay in the announcement of the minimum wage would compel us to resort to other forms of actions to back our demands.”

“It is our conviction that as a matter of urgency, government would take not and act accordingly. We are resolved,” the workers said.

The minister, after receiving the resolution, assured the workers that the government was not dragging its feet, adding that negotiations were ongoing at the Tripartite Committee level for an acceptable minimum wage.

She explained that the new minimum wage had delayed because issues that came up during negotiations at the committee needed more time to be effectively dealt with. Mrs Bannerman noted that any decision that would be taken by the committee would have a far-reaching effect on workers and the economy and therefore, it must be a responsible one.

On whether the demonstrations could affect the work of the committee, she said that although such actions were not expected during negotiations, “we do understand the workers and we do not have any bad feeling against them.”

The minister said the government recognised the plight of workers and that everything possible would be done to come out with the minimum wage without any unnecessary delay.