Upper Presbytery of Presbyterian Church of Ghana calls for calm on labour front

Story: Benjamin Xornam Glover, Bolgatanga The Chairman of the Upper Presbytery of the Presbyterian Church of Ghana (PCG), Rev. Esmond Wasau Nagba has noted with deep concern the current spate of upheavals in the labour front and appealed to all aggrieved labour unions to rescind their strike and resume work. “Clearly the contentions revolve around wage related disagreements. Every worker has a set of expectations regarding fairness in remunerations. However, the disagreement normally surrounds fairness, accuracy or otherwise and certain times the delay which often leads to eroded financial value.” He said. Speaking to the press on a communiqué issued by the Upper Presbytery of the church at the end of its third Presbytery Conference held at Gambaga between April 13 to 17, this year, Rev Nagba urged the government, Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) and other stakeholders to demonstrate their willingness in ending this spate of labour unrest through a demonstration of commitment to agreements and rulings at various negotiations for a involving labour unions. The Upper Presbytery covers the three political regions, namely the Upper East, Upper West and parts of the Northern Regions, specifically, the West and East Mamprusi District Assemblies as well as the Bunkprugu / Yunyoo Districts. While calling on government to play its role, the church also appealed to labour unions not to resort to entrenched positions but allow due process involving negotiations, adding that “Let us all remember that all parties are serving the supreme interest of Mother Ghana”. On the current energy crisis, Rev. Nabga said the conference observed that the nationwide crisis involving inadequate and inconsistent supply of power has brought untold hardships to both domestic and industrial users who depend on power for productivity, profit and survival. “We wish to acknowledge that our sources of power are largely natural and God endowed. It is the management of it that is delivered through the instrumentality of human agents and government entities. While commending government for extension works at the Aboadze Terminal Plant to boost the power capacity, we wish to urge government to refrain from misrepresentation of facts and realities surrounding the issues of the power crisis for political expediency. A similar appeal goes to users of electricity to cut down on wasteful usage and to become power conserver sensitive.” He said. The church appealed to the government to find lasting solutions to the energy crises in the country. It also admonished the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG) and the Volta River Authority (VRA) to bring more efficiency in their operations On Peace and Security, the Presbytery commended all Ghanaians for the generally peaceful reactions to the outcome of the 2012 general elections. They particularly commended the leadership of the two main political parties for resorting to the courts for solutions to the disagreements surrounding the elections and pledging to abide by the ruling of the Supreme Court. The church urged all parties to remain calm while the justices of the Supreme Court execute due diligence to bring the matter to a rest. Rev. Nagba also bemoaned recent pockets of inter-ethnic and Chieftaincy related violence notably in Nakpanduri ad Yendi recently and urged the key actors, residents and security agencies in these locations to refrain from the use of violence and rather resort to dialogue and other peaceful means in seeking solutions to all associated grievances. The Communiqué also touched on the recent controversies surrounding aspects of the Savannah Accelerated Development Authority (SADA) initiatives and urged all key actors and beneficiaries to be sincere and ensure that this initiative is de-politicized and be allowed to be the pro-programme that is was meant to with persons in the beneficiary areas from economic misery to some level of economic liberation. The Communiqué also acknowledged government’s effort at ensuring efficient management of the National Health Insurance Scheme by introducing the capital system on a pilot basis and also intention of the introduction of verification system to check over-billing of client by the health providers. It said concerns raised by well-meaning Ghanaians concerning the efficient management of the scheme must be taken seriously to make it the pro-poor scheme that it is meant to be. -End- Writer’s email: Benjamin.glover@graphic.com.gh