Increase workers’ salaries to enable us to survive these hard times – TUC
The Trades Union Congress has called on the government to upwardly adjust the salaries of public sector workers to match recent inflation figures in a bid to cushion the current economic woes of the country.
Current data from the Ghana Statistical Service points out that significant increases in the prices associated with food, transport, and housing have raised the national year-on-year inflation for March 2022 to 19.4 per cent.
The rate is 3.7 percentage points higher than the 15.7 per cent recorded in February 2022.
The March 2022 rise in the inflation rate is the highest recorded since the Ghana Statistical Service rebased the Consumer Price Index in August 2019.
In recent months general prices of goods and services have also shot up drastically.
Percurrent standings, petrol and diesel are selling between GH¢9 and GH¢10 per litre.
Also, operators of public transport upwardly adjusted fares by 15% and are currently threatening to increase fares further if nothing is done to reduce the cost of fuel in Ghana.
Addressing TUC members at an Organised Labour Pre-May Day Forum 2022, the General Secretary of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah appealed to the government to increase the salaries of workers to help them survive “these hard times.”
“In July 2021, when we were negotiating public sector pay for 2021 and 2022, inflation was just 9%. As we speak, it has reached 19.4%. This has taken a toll on every worker in government.”
