Poor salary administration cause of strikes — Austin Gamey

Review salary payment method, Labour consultant

Labour expect tells government to set targets for workers

UTAG strikes

A labour consultant, Austin Gamey, has called for an organization to pay salaries based on the level of productivity of people.

According to him, there is a need for a review of the method of payment of salaries, to

Read full articleprevent a series of strikes due to poor salary administration in the country.

Speaking to Daily Graphic in an interview, he said, “Let’s review our method of payment. What we need to do is pay people based on what they put in. The major problem we have on our hands is poor salary administration.”

“Section 8 (B) of our labour laws says that the employer must set targets. The law says that when you set targets, you provide your employees with the needed facilities to work with. The law says in Section 11 (c) that the employer must ensure that workers enhance productivity,” Mr Gamey added.
He added that new methods must be adopted to prevent future strikes from happening.
“What we need is to up our skills in the management of people and resources to avert such situations from recurring,” he said.

He also cautioned government about employing more people with less resources it can contain since doing that could lead to increased demands by labour.
“I am wondering where we will be if we are to pay more people, including lecturers. I think the problem is about our salary administration and we need to agree on our adequacy and inadequacy; now the call is on adequacy,” Graphic online quoted.

“They (lecturers) want more, but can we afford it? If yes, then pay; but if no, then what next? That is the issue, and it is not a simple matter,” Mr Gamey said.

The University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) began its nationwide strike action to press home their demand for improved conditions of service.

UTAG from last year has been lamenting the worsening conditions of its members and followed through with some demands on government.

In its latest press release dated January 8, the group decried government’s inability to implement as well as meet timelines agreed upon during negotiations as part of efforts aimed at improving the conditions of service of lecturers.