Workers’ Day: Labour analyst slam employers over ‘hasty’ coronavirus-induced layoffs

Labour consultant, Yiadom Boakye Amponsah has chided managers of private companies who hastily laid off workers in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.

His comments come as Ghana joins the rest of the world to commemorate Workers’ Day today, Saturday, May 1, 2021.

The Ghana Statistical Service (GSS), in a survey it conducted, revealed that about 770,000 workers, representing over 25% of the nation's total workforce, had their wages reduced due to the pandemic.

The research findings also showed that some 42,000 employees were laid off during the country's lockdown.

In a Citi News interview, the Labour Consultant noted that dialogue between managers and employees could have resulted in the situation being handled better.

“Some inexperienced managers took very on-the-spur-of-the-moment decisions which affected the work. It could have been managed better. I think what should have happened would have been a better engagement between the role players, workers, and their employers for the way forward. If that had happened, a lot of companies would have performed better,” Yiadom Boakye Amponsah said.

He added that: “some organizations did very well by keeping their calm. Some of the areas that were badly hit were the transport, hospitality and domestic sectors. They panicked and committed errors here and there. Some decided that the employers should just go home; some unilaterally decided that we will pay you half salary. ”

We'll give workers their due remuneration if elected – NDC

The COVID-19 pandemic, which resulted in a lockdown of some parts of the country in 2020, led to a number of job losses.

However, the opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) has promised to offer better conditions of service to workers if voted into power.

The party gave the assurance in a statement issued to workers, to mark May Day.

“We in the NDC are proud of our relationship with workers and we do hereby encourage them to stand tall in their unflinching loyalty to the cause of Ghana. The NDC further assures all workers that a future NDC government will commit to much better handling of the economy and award them their due remuneration in recognition of their sterling role in lifting high the flag of Ghana,” the statement said.

“This is a non-negotiable assurance that we owe to workers in order to maintain their faith in the choice they have made to serve this nation for both the present and future generations.”

The party thus urged workers to give off their best in the wake of the challenges caused by the pandemic .

“In the face of the abject hopelessness generated by the appalling incompetence of the Akufo-Addo government, and compounded by the devastating onslaught of the COVID-19 pandemic, the NDC urges workers to continue to commit themselves to their work and the nation in order to lubricate the wheels of progress and development.”

---citinewsroom