The government has been admonished to convert the widely criticised National Cathedral project into a national hospital project.
The Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress, Dr. Anthony Yaw Baah who was outlining measures that the government can take to lead Ghanaians out of the economic crisis, called on the government to cut down on the expenditure of non-essentials including the construction of the National Cathedral project.
While constructing a National Cathedral project at a time when the country is in dire need of equipped hospital projects to meet the health needs of Ghanaians, the TUC Secretary General believes it will be better to convert the ongoing construction of a National Cathedral project to a national hospital to save lives than for the government to continue spending public funds on the project.
“We believe that the government can lead us out of this crisis by cutting all non-essential expenditures, including the need to stop spending our hard-earned revenue on a National Cathedral. The president has always said he wants to create another Notre Dame in Ghana so he can attract a lot of visitors, but we disagree. In fact, it will be better to convert the project into a national hospital”
Dr. Yaw Baah made this clarion call in Bolgatanga, the Upper East Regional capital, while addressing public and private sector workers in commemoration of International Workers’ Day (May Day).
President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo graced the occasion, which was under the theme ‘Protecting incomes and pensions in an era of economic crisis: Our responsibility’.
While managers of the Ghanaian economy have always blamed the country’s economic challenges on the impact of Covid-19 and the Russian war in Ukraine, Organized Labour disagrees.
“Mr. President, we in Organized Labour hold the view that the economic crisis we are experiencing in Ghana today is self-imposed. We acknowledge the adverse effects of COVID-19 and the Russia-Ukraine war on the global economy. But we do not believe that these events are the fundamental causes of Ghana’s economic crisis.”
The TUC Secretary General, Dr. Yaw Baah, who stated that an IMF program can never take Ghanaians out of the crisis, said “another IMF program will only impose an economic burden” on Ghanaians.
In order to keep the ailing Ghanaian economy on its toes, Dr. Yaw Baah entreated President Akufo-Addo to cut the size of his government. He acknowledged the efforts the government is making to restore the economy, but cautioned it against the excessive use of regressive taxes, which impose a disproportionate burden on local businesses.
He expressed regret that the 30 percent increase in wages in the public sector is not tantamount to the rising inflation rate.
“We want to take this opportunity to serve notice that if the inflation rate remains high, organised labour will continue to demand wage increases that reflect inflation and the high cost of living”, he cautioned.
Dr. Yaw Baah lamented that workers under the Single Spine Salary Structure are receiving the lowest salary in the public and called on the government to review the policy.
Source: A1Radioonline.com|101.1Mhz|Bolgatanga|Ghana
