The Secretary-General of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, has described as ‘unacceptable’ the situation where workers, especially, those in the mining sector, are brutalized and arrested by police and military personnel when they protest against their conditions of service.
Dr. Â Yaw Baah said, a country that strives in democracy, should not allow its workers to be brutalized, arrested and sent to prison for protesting against an unfair treatment being meted out to them by their employers.
The TUC Secretary-General made the observations while speaking at the 2018 Workers Day which was held in the Ashanti Regional capital, Kumasi.
This year’s celebration was under the theme: “Sustainable Development Goals And Decent Works…The Role Of Social Partnersâ€.
Dr. Baah cited that “in the year 2013, a mass redundancy exercise from Anglogold Ashanti affect about 5,000 workersâ€, adding, “in March this year [2018], just this year, another mass redundancy exercise by Goldfields-Ghana, affected about 2,000 permanent workersâ€.
He noted that “when they protested, armed personnel and military personnel were deployed to halt the protest by arresting and imprison themâ€.
“Some were molested and sent to prisons and this is unaccepted in the country which strives in democracyâ€, the Secretary-General noted.
Dr. Baah said “this is happening in other sectors, including banking and maritime, but we should have partnership characterized by mutual respectâ€.
Unemployed Ghanaians
He noted that “13-million Ghanaians are capable of being employed but just about 2-million of them, representing 13%, have jobs that can be described as decentâ€.
He added that “the few who have decent employment are being threatened with redundancy while some employers are using contract or casual workersâ€.
Dr. Baah revealed that “some employees are turning their employees into casual workers†and urged “the President to stop this unwarranted practiceâ€.
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