Politicization Of The SSSS, Cause Of Labour Unrest – USAG

Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyemang

Right from the onset, comments, pronouncements and the posture of our politicians and political parties meant that the Single Spine Salary Structure (SSSS) would be more than a “good policy” intended to cleanse the inconsistencies and discrepancies that characterized public sector compensation as at then.

Whiles the policy was well intentioned, the provincial, self-seeking, polarized, partisan and propagandist positions and dispositions of our policitcians and political parties, who will always want to score inexpensive and unnecessary political points led to a plethora of comments about the SSSS, which were either half-truths, deviations and sometimes outright lies.

Had our politicians, political parties and their rented press and PROs taken an objective and nationalistic stance on this policy, perhaps we would have made better progress with the implementation of the SSSS than we see currently.

Can you imagine, that at one point in time the IMF was blamed for the challenges of implementing the SSSS; this is how low we have stooped as a nation, over 50 years of independece we still find it relevant to blame some foreign countries and/or institutions for our shortfall, ills, mismanagement and underdevelopment.

Going forward, USAG will want to inform and caution all labour unions within the country that there is no faultless, flawless and perfect system in the real world, they should desist from making their somettimes unrealistic and inequitable demands and should stop the unprofessional conduct of exploiting the unfortuante partisan political status which now characterizes public sector renumeration in the country.

Politicians, poltical parties, national leaders, social commentators and all others must also desist from making political capital out of the whole issue. We dare say that it is about time an objective, dispassionate, wholistic, nationalistic and critical examination of the whole SSSS policy is undertaken, and definite answers found to the challenges that have characterized the implementation of the SSSS so far, and possible challenges that could pop up in the future.

We use this opportunity to make a strong case for GNAT and NAGRAT to go back to the classroom whiles they together with other stakeholders work jointly to address their concerns.

Source: USAG ( 0267-902-063; [email protected] )