Nation Not In Crisis - Ayariga

A Deputy Minister of Education, Mr Mahama Ayariga, has rejected assertions being made by some persons that Ghana is in crisis and gave the assurance that President John Mills and his team are in total control.

The recent spring of agitations in the labour front, coupled with irregular power supply, has led some people to conclude that the nation is in some sort of crisis and that the nation’s leaders are overwhelmed by this crisis.

Speaking to graphic.com.gh in Karaga, Mr Ayariga rejected these claims, explaining that the concurrence of these agitations was a mere coincidence.

He also pointed out that the various agitations from labour unions had different peculiarities and therefore government was addressing each issue based on its merit.

“The agitations by Polytechnic students had to do with market premium, while the university lecturers’ issue was about salary arrears,” Mr Ayariga said, adding that each of these issues had been prudently dealt with by the government.

“In the case of POTAG, government has demonstrated enough commitment to address their concerns by reducing the gap between them and university lecturers from 55 per cent to 13 per cent. And for the university lecturers, their problem had to do with delayed payment of salary arrears and this basically had to do with processes, so there is simply no cause for alarm,” he said.

The deputy minister said what many Ghanaians had forgotten was that the Mills Administration took the bold step to implement the Single Spine Pay Policy (SSPP), which he said had huge financial implications.

“The implementation of such a policy is very difficult and requires some political commitment, which is what this administration has demonstrated to move the implementation of this policy this far,” he stated.

He said so far, government had done well in working with the recommendations of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and therefore entreated Ghanaians to continue to encourage and support the government to sustain this pay policy.

On the strike action by junior doctors at the Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital (KATH), Mr Ayariga said the issue had nothing to do with salaries, but rather working conditions, explaining that government had made significant progress in providing improved salaries for medical personnel and was now focusing on improving the working environment.

He cited efforts being made to revive various sections of the Korle-Bu Teaching Hospital, as well as the rehabilitation of the Tamale Teaching Hospital.

“Surely, government is working towards resolving similar challenges facing KATH and many other health facilities nationwide,” Mr Ayariga said.