'Govt not interested in inflicting pain on workers' - Minister

Haruna Iddrisu addressing the crowd

  The Minister for Employment and Labour Relations says the government’s recent utility hikes were to protect their jobs.

Speaking to a jeering crowd at the Organiser Labour protest this morning, Haruna Iddrisu said he had received the Organised Labour petition and would pass it on to President John Mahama.

 “I will try to convince him to meet as soon as practical this afternoon,” Iddrisu said.

He spoke at Independence Square to the 3000 plus protesters, thanking them and the demonstration's leadership for ensuring a “peaceful and incident-free” protest. He said he noted the crowd’s anger at the government in respect of the tariffs and the introduction of the Energy Sector Levy.

“While your concerns are legitimate, the actions of government is necessary,” he said.

 “We could have chosen a more peaceful path for political expedience so not to do this even in an election year. That is what you should appreciate. We need to improve the health of the economy, the health of our energy institutions for sustainable development of our country.

“So with the decisions we have taken, as difficult as they may be, we do it to protect your jobs in the immediate and foreseeable future,” he said.

The minister told the crowd the government was available for continuing negotiations.

 “Let me assure you, the government will not take interest in inflicting pain on the Ghanaian worker. We know our decisions hurt, it hurts our nurses, it hurts our workers, [but] we have done so in order to protect jobs.”

The protest was to register Organised Labour’s displeasure about government’s refusal to reduce the increase in taxes that have heightened the prices of petroleum products and the cost of utility tariffs. Since December, water bills have increased by 67.2 percent and power by 59.2 percent.


Source.pulse.com.gh