The much anticipated two-day demonstration exercise by the Organised Labour has been reduced to a day.
This was revealed by the General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Union (ICU), Solomon Kotei on Eyewitness News.
[contextly_sidebar id=”kSJbX6eN6aYRmvWQSzUcfd0X2Obq9BkW”]According to him, the decision was arrived at when the leadership of the Organised Labour met with government on Thursday.
Organized labour had earlier scheduled the two day demonstration for January 19 and 20 which will be followed by a nationwide strike on January 21.
The group had decided to resort to the action to force government to reduce utility tariffs and prices of petroleum products.
“It’s not two days we are only doing on the 20th the Wednesday. That was the legal position, but after meeting government yesterday we brought it to one day,” Mr. Kotei added.
Solomon Kotei insisted that the roadmap set by Organised labour to ensure that government succumbs to their demand is being done “within the law.”
Earlier, the Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), Kofi Asamoah while briefing the press argued that government has lost touch with the plight of the citizenry hence their action.
“Our last meeting with government ended inconclusively at the Flagstaff house yesterday. As a result we are left with no other option than to proceed with our planned actions to express our outrage with the insensitive increases in taxes, levies and utility prices at this time of the year when the average Ghanaian is at their most difficult economic ebb.”
Kofi Asamoah argued that “our actions are informed by the simple fact that in our view government has lost touch with the economic and social realities of Ghana and of Ghanaians. And that is what happens to every government and a country that leaves its ecnonomic and social politicies to the dictates of the International Monetary Fund.”
Meanwhile, attempts by Organised labour to push for a 50 percent increase in salaries for public sector workers over the introduction of new taxes and increases in utility bills had proved futile after several meetings hit a deadlock.
–
By: Godwin A. Allotey/citifmonline.com/Ghana