Breaking: Akufo-Addo directs gov’t team to quickly resolve concerns of labour unions

Louisa July 14, 2022

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The government team has been instructed by President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to speak with organized labor to find a cooperative solution about cost-of-living allowances (COLA).

Due to the current economic climate, more than ten labor groups, including four teacher unions, the Ghana Medical Association, and the Public Services Workers union, have called for a 20 percent cost of living allowance.

Three separate rounds of negotiations with teacher unions that are already on strike have come to a deadlock.

Kojo Oppong Nkrumah, the information minister, announced in a tweet that President Akufo-Addo has instructed the government team to find a constructive middle ground in the negotiations.

@NAkufoAddo has this morning urged the Govt team to work with organised Labour and arrive at a healthy middle ground in the negotiations for COLA, set to hopefully start today.

— Kojo Oppong Nkrumah (@konkrumah) July 14, 2022

A meeting with the four teacher unions that were on strike over the Cost of Living Allowance ended in a deadlock, preventing the government from persuading them to return to the classroom.

The administration requested the union leaders to end the strike before negotiations could start during the meeting on Tuesday, but the teachers refused and afterwards staged a walkout.