The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) has bemoaned the lack of monitoring by the various labor unions in enforcing the implementation of the daily minimum wage.
The National Tripartite Committee in July last year (2017) announced a ten percent increment in the daily minimum wage.
The decision pushed the figure up from a previous 8 cedis 80 pesewas to 9 cedis 68 pesewas a day.
This was followed by a warning from the employment ministry to severely sanction any institution that would flout the new rate.
Earlier checks by Citi Business News also showed a vast majority of employees being paid below the minimum wage forcing them into harsh living conditions.
Commenting on the issue, the General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Solomon Kotei told Citi Business News that the union will ensure that workers are paid the required wages.
“Those who earn the minimum wage, they need a voice themselves and ICU has stood for them over the period so if they could walk to us and say that I work here and I’m paid below the minimum wage, then obviously we render those free services to them to get their employees to do the right thing”, he said.
He added that it was however not their direct responsibility as ICU to ensure that employers receive the rightful pay but rather that of the labour ministry, but lack of resources has among other things has made them reluctant in their enforcement.
“That is however not our direct responsibility, that should be the responsibility of the labour department. But here is the case they are not resourced, they don’t even have vehicles, they don’t even have the personnel to go round and the enforcement has been very weak infact we are even yet to have a test case where an employer who is paid below the minimum wage is has been dragged to the court it doesn’t happen”.
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By: Anita Arthur/citibusinessnews.com/Ghana