President calls for taming of harsh conditions

The President, Flt Lt. Jerry John Rawlings has stressed the need for Africa governments and labour movements to collaborate to face and tame the prevailing harsh global economic situation.

The said the time has come for the international community to take a look at the needs of the mass of the world's deprived people. President Rawlings said these when he addressed the on-going 6th Ordinary Congress of the Organisation of African Trades Union Unity at the Accra International Conference Centre.

He said the times are tough and governments cannot give workers all they workers all they want at a go but stressed the need for workers to be told what the problems are and how they can be solved. President Rawlings said all people throughout the world recognise a common index for determining rights and wrongs but when it comes to ensuring economic justice it becomes difficult to translate this concept of justice to reality.

He said, for instance that there are no fair grounds for global trade, a situation that puts the third world at a disadvantage. President Rawlings pointed to the situation in Ghana where there has been tension lately over the government's introduction of the Value Added Tax system as a means of mopping up more funds for development and how to meet the basic needs of workers.

He said the government has provided a leadership of integrity which has been the basis of the nation's success so far but indicated that since workers do not survive only on integrity there is a need to seek realistic solutions to their problems.

He said the government has provided a leadership of integrity which has been the basis of the nation's success so far but indicated that since workers do not survive only on integrity there is a need to seek realistic solutions to their problems.

He said it is the responsibility of the labour movement to assist the government in this direction. The Presidential Adviser on Governmental Affairs, Mr P. V. Obeng said the struggle is not between labour and government but between the haves who have the opportunity to have more and have- nots who are losing their rights to ask for their due.

He said the government at times appears as the enemy of workers because in their efforts to seek long-term interest of workers, they sometimes gloss over their immediate bread and butter needs..

He cautioned workers against taking as their allies people who promise to feed them for a day and forget about their long-term interests. Alhaji Hasan Somunu, Secretary- General of the OATUU said African workers are not the enemies of African governments because they know the problems their governments face.

He said in the current circumstances, African workers either have to swim with their governments or sink with them. He said the main enemy of the worker is the globalisation of trade, structural adjustments and World Bank/MF conditionalities. Mr. Somunu said the globalisation of trade creates an uneven field for partners in trade, a situation that makes one the permanent loser.

The Secretary-General said the OATUU is opposed to the kind of sovereignty where African governments cannot determine the fate of their people without consulting the IMF.