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President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo responding to cheers from GBC staff
As the coronavirus pandemic breaks out, the Congress of Trade Unions (TUC) on Friday called on the government to quickly develop and implement a holistic economic response strategy to deal with the impact of the pandemic.
TUC Secretary General Dr. Yaw Baah, speaking at the virtual celebration of International Workers Day, also known as May Day, said such a strategy would require stabilization and stimulus packages for businesses and households to mitigate the impact of the pandemic on the economy.
Format
The virtual celebration, which was broadcast live on Ghanaian television, was a specially organized event on May 1 in which very few people were admitted in response to the ban on public gathering and the directive on social distancing.
The theme of the event was: “COVID-19 in Ghana: impact on employment and working conditions”.
Impact
Across the world, economies have shrunk as a result of the coronavirus pandemic.
On March 30, 2020, the Minister of Finance, Mr. Ken Ofori-Atta, delivered a statement to Parliament on the “Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the Ghanaian economy, where he painted an unpleasant picture of the impact of the pandemic.
He said that there would likely be a significant slowdown in our GDP growth, significant deficits in oil revenues, deficits in import tariffs, deficits in other tax revenues, higher health spending, and tighter financial conditions with consequences on the 2020 budget. .
The pandemic is already causing huge negative impacts on companies with cascading effects on workers.
Some workers have been asked to stay home without wages, while others have had their wages cut because their employers have losses.
Devastating effects
Dr. Baah said an ongoing investigation by the TUC Institute for Research and Labor Policy pointed to a serious consequence for the country in the coming years, given the devastating nature of the coronavirus.
“Brothers and sisters, the disease has been with us for only two months, but the devastation it has caused to our economy and social life will take years to restore,” he said.
He mentioned that “a company that exports beverages has lost tons of its raw materials, including mangoes, pineapples and papayas because it cannot export due to the closure of borders around the world. All casual and contract workers have been laid off. The company has also stopped all overtime work. As a result, workers’ incomes have been drastically reduced. The company is struggling to pay workers, pay social security, pay taxes, and pay off bank loans. ”
Again, the head of TUC said that a company in the fishing subsector in Tema had reduced the strength of its personnel on the daily shift due to compliance with social distancing rules.
He said a real estate company had also asked its workers to go home on a 50 percent salary.
The story, he said, was no better in the hotel industry, where the effects had been even more devastating with hundreds of workers losing their jobs.
“The few who are lucky enough to keep their jobs have suffered cut wages due to reduced hours or days of work,” he added.
Good start
Although Dr. Baah said the GH ¢ 600 million announced by the government as a stimulus was a good start, he added that more support was needed for companies.
“To avoid serious disruptions in the supply chain, the government must identify and support local companies that produce raw materials that can feed local industries.
The government should make arrangements with commercial banks to ensure that companies can access lines of credit on more flexible terms, “said Dr. Baah.
Dr. Baah said the TUC believed that the strategy he was proposing to the government, combined with tax breaks for workers, would help mitigate the economic impact of the health crisis, adding that the workers were ready to play their part. as social partners in the economy. recovery efforts.
Health workers
Dr. Baah congratulated healthcare workers on the front lines of the coronavirus fight for the great work they were doing.
“You are risking your life every day to protect us. We thank you and wish you God’s blessings. The media, public service workers, security services, as well as scientific and research institutions (Noguchi Memorial Institute for Medical Research, Kumasi Center for Collaborative Research, National Public Reference Laboratory) and other workers and institutions that provide Essential services help us manage the crisis. . We are very indebted to you. God bless you! “, Said.
He said that as workers celebrated the day, they should remember the anonymous heroes who led the fight to free everyone from forced labor, long hours of work and slave wages.
Bold decisions
Dr. Baah praised the government for the skillful way in which it had handled the pandemic.
“Since the first two cases of coronavirus infection were detected in Ghana, we have all witnessed the effort our government has made to protect us from this dangerous virus. Bold steps the government has taken have included banning public gatherings, closing schools and universities, closing our borders, and imposing restrictions on the movements of people in Accra and Kumasi, “he said.
GBC praised
On behalf of the Ghanaian workers, Dr. Baah thanked GBC Director General Prof. Amin Alhassan and his team for making the virtual celebration possible, and also thanked President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo for honoring the invitation to the Program.
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