Oman Hene Kwabena Asante on Asempa fm Ekosiisen program said Demonstration Organized by Coalition against the leadership of TUC and Organized Labour fighting against 4% salary increment is nonsense.
According to OmanHene, majority of Public Sector Workers are unproductive, they go to work 10:00am and close at 2:00pm, they manipulate and sell government papers in their offices and that corruption and many other dubious scandals happen in government offices through Public Servants. He asserted that public sector workers do not even deserve the 4% salary increment. Oman Hene further stressed that Public Sector Workers are the reason why Ghana is retrogressing speedily. He said Public Servants always threatens politicians that they are always at post till retirement but politicians will go and come and meet them. He said majority of Public Sector Workers are hypocrites and since 1982 Public Sector Workers are the reason why Ghana is not progressing. He said due to over freedom in the public service, some public sector workers upgraded themselves up to Professorial level with certificates not relevant to the work they do and yet they are demanding salary increment.
REACTIONS:
Few days after this attack on public sector workers, the Executive Secretary of Coalition against the leadership of TUC and Organized Labour, Mr Azubila Emmanuel Abdul-Salam who double as Executive Secretary of Anchoring Democracy Advocacy Movement Ghana (ADAM-GH) issued a serious warning calling on OmanHene Kwabena Asante to immediately come out to apologise or face their wrath.
All the social media was charged including the Coalition platforms. The Coalition members mounted pressure on their Leadership to come out to respond to OmanHene Kwabena Asante.
APOLOGY RENDERED BY OMANHENE:
Due to the pressure and reactions from Public Sector Workers, OmanHene Kwabena Asante called Mr. Azubila Emmanuel Abdul-Salam and apologise to him and also urged him to extend his apologies to all Public Sector Workers and promise to use the same platform he used to attack the public sector workers on Ekosiisen program to openly apologise to all workers across the country who were hurt.
On Monday 24th August 2021, OmanHene Kwabena Asante accordingly rendered an unqualified apology to all Public Sector Workers on ADOMFM/TV morning show. He further apologise same on the Asempa fm Ekosiisen program.
He said he mistakenly lumped up all Public Sector Workers to the few bad nuts he was attacking. He recommended the effort of Mr. Azubila Emmanuel Abdul-Salam for his calming down tempers on his behalf.
After the apology on air, Azubila was called by the host to find out whether they have accepted the apology from OmanHene.
Mr Azubila’s reactions:
Mr. Azubila started by urging his colleagues Public Sector Workers to forgive him as he has eaten a humble pie.
He further said Government workers are the most vulnerable and they believe government and Leadership of TUC and Organized Labour has been very unfair to public servants for increasing their salaries to only 4% after government had introduced seven new taxes early this year heaping a lot of financial burden on workers in the country. He blamed the leadership of TUC and Organized Labour for not serving the interest of Ghanaian workers but their selfish interest. According to him workers have representation at the tripartite committee meetings and that means they must make sure they speak the language of workers, fight for workers better condition of service but unfortunately for them their Leadership upon deducting 1.5% to 2% of the base pay salary every month as dues still went ahead to sell workers out.
He said history tell us that every government always wish to have compromised Union leaders and that is the interest of Government but it takes Leadership who fight for workers welfare to insist on workers position at the tripartite committee meeting for the interest of Ghanaian workers but this was the opposite when it comes to the Labour Unions Leaders.
Azubila made some sad and touching revelations about how workers are struggling to survive with the 4% salary increment against the high cost of living as a results of the increase in the prices of goods and services.
He said before December 2020, a bag of Cement was Ghc32.00 but with the introduction of new taxes and the rise of fuel prices and so on, a bag of Cement in this Month August 2021 is Ghc50.00, representing 34% increment.
He said a tonne of Reinforcement bars (Iron Rods) as at January 2021 was Ghc3,500.00 but today it is Ghc6,000.00 representing 45% increment. What this means is that if I am a public sector worker and my landlord increases my rent I cannot pay with my 4% salary increment, if I am putting up two bedrooms apartment as a worker I cannot continue the building. Transport fares is increased by 13% as against the worker 4% what it means is that as a worker I cannot take transport to work throughout the month.
He said as a worker they go to market and the prices of food stuffs keeps increasing. However the market women are able to adjust their prices to make profit but where is the public sector worker going to get adjustment of salary or additional money to support themselves? So sad.
This therefore suggest that, the cry of Public Sector Workers are very genuine and legitimate so they were hurt to hear such unfortunate comment from OmanHene but as he has apologised let bygone be bygone.
Azubila further expressed his disappointment against Saaka Salia and condemned him of similar comments he made against the public sector workers. Saaka Salia is a member of the New Patriotic Party communication team and also doubles as the Executive Secretary of Truth and Accountability Forum. According to Mr. Azubila Saaka Salia is his big brother but he was disappointed in him.
Background:
Saaka Salia few days ago also said Public Sector Workers do not deserve even 1% salary increment because they are unproductive.
This According to Mr Azubila, Saaka Salia has soon forgotten that in 2016 when his government was in opposition, they were soliciting for financial support from Ghanaian Public Sector workers including head potters (kayayo), galamseyers, to support their campaign. Today Saaka Salia’s party is in power and he turns round to insult these same public sector workers who contributed money to support him and his party win power in 2016. Azubila further queried Saaka Salia asking him whether he was not the same person who Claimed in 2016 that he was fighting for Teacher trainee and nursing trainee allowance?
Was he not the same person who claimed was fighting for workers welfare and sent government to court due to Electricity Company of Ghana Concession saga?
Was he cheating our intelligence to think that he loves Public Sector Workers just to score political points?
What has change for this same Saaka Salia whose party is in government today turn round attacking Public Sector Workers for demanding what they deserve legitimately?
Azubila however, testify to the facts that there are bad nuts amongst the public sector workers as it’s in Journalism and even worse amongst the article 71 Office holders who takes huges sums of money as salaries and yet allows corruptions and big big scandals couple with judgement debt detailing the country’s economy and yet no one is held accountable. You can not say because of the bad nuts all the good ones don’t deserve salary increment. It looks as if the enemies of Public Sector Workers are becoming numerous meanwhile, we have our fathers who serves this country selflessly as public sector workers and some of them if you see their living conditions now it’s so sad and yet people don’t appreciate our sacrifices to the development of this country.
Our issue is not everyone in the public sector is corrupt so if Saaka Salia know those corrupt Public Sector Workers he should let’s know and retrieve those money back to Government coffers, let’s single out the bad nuts and deal with them.
He said for instance the covid 19 vacine that has become topic for discussions, it’s these same 4% nurses and midwives who are public sector workers who will be injecting everyone in Ghana.
Saaka Salia government is boasting of Free Senior High School but they forgot that it is these 4% Teachers who are making the free SHS successful. These are the 4% salary increment group we are talking about.
Azubila said right now that OmanHene now know the reality, he should be an ambassador to Advocate for the cry of Public Sector Workers.
Azubila further express his disappointment on some media sabotage who tried to miss inform the public about the Coalition Petition sent to the president, asking the president to intervene to review the inhumane treatment meted out to workers with this 4% salary increment.
The Coalition told government to respect the Professor Yaa Ntiamoa Baidu’s General Recommendations which stated categorically in page 57 that the percentage increase by article 71 Office holders should be the same thing as that of Public Sector Workers but government skip that portion and increase article 71 Office holders salary by 79% and gave Public Sector Workers 4%.
Some media said government have not start implementating Professor Yaa Ntiamoa Baidu’s General Recommendations Related to article 71 Office holders salary increment.
Azubila quoted a letter from Minister for Finance office dated 9th April 2021 with a heading ” Implementation of the Report of the Professor Yaa Ntiamoa Baidu’s presidential Committee on emoluments for article 71 Office holders (2017 – 2021 ) as affect Justices of the Supreme court”
He use the document from the finance minister to deflate the argument that the Professor Yaa Ntiamoa Baidu’s General Recommendations Related to article 71 Office holders have not been implementated.