The government will today, Tuesday, begin negotiations with 23 labour unions and associations over the demand for the Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).
A statement issued and signed by the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) boss, Benjamin Arthur, indicated that representatives from the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations, Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Education, Ministry of National Security, Controller and Accountant General’s Department, the Ghana Education Service and representatives from the commission itself are expected at the scheduled meeting.
For organised labour, the unions and associations that are expected to be at the meeting are the Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC), the Ghana Federation of Labour, Forum of Public Sector Associations/Unions, the Public Services Workers’ Union, the Health Services Workers’ Union, the Construction and Building Materials Workers Union and the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU).
The others are Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana, Colleges of Education Non-Teaching Staff Association of Ghana, Ghana National Association of Teachers, Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana, National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Ghana Federation of Disabled Workers’ Union Accra Rehabilitation Centre and the Ghana Registered Nurses’ Association.
The rest are the Ghana Medical Association, Government and Hospital Pharmacists Association, the Civil and Local Government Staff Association, Ghana (CLOGSAG), University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG), Technical University Teachers Association of Ghana, the Senior Staff Association – Universities of Ghana, Ghana Association of University Administrators, Technical University Administrators Association of Ghana and the Technical University Senior Administrators Association of Ghana.
Four teacher unions have already laid down their tools over the government’s failure to pay the allowance.
A meeting last week between the leadership of the four striking teacher labour unions and the government to resolve the impasse ended in a stalemate.
Again, other labour unions which include, Ghana Registered Nurses’ Association, Ghana Medical Association, and others are also demanding 20% of their basic salary as cost of living allowance due to what they describe as harsh economic conditions.