Morgan Ayawine
MEMBERS OF the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) , Ghana, have asked government to put in place measures to ameliorate them from the effects of some new taxes contained in the 2021 Budget.
Acting general secretary of the union, Morgan Ayawine, who is also the deputy general secretary in charge of operations, made the appeal to government yesterday in Sunyani when he addressed the Bono Regional Chapter of the union at a delegates’ conference meant to elect new leaders of the regional council, the women’s committee and youth committee.
It was also to adopt new resolutions to be proposed to the national council at its 11th quadric conference slated for August this year.
Addressing workers’ groups mainly from rural banks, Ghana Cocoa Board, PBS and community banks, among others, Mr. Ayawine lamented that government’s new taxes, including COVID-19 Health Levy, Road Toll increase, Gaming Tax, Sanitation and Pollution levy, one per cent increase in VAT in the 2021 budget to raise revenue for government business might bring hardship to workers and affect its vision of creating jobs.
“This is a sad commentary on our economy, as it is going to aggravate the already precarious economic status of workers and ordinary Ghanaians, and can affect government’s efforts at job creation.
“We are therefore using this forum to earnestly appeal to government to put in place measures to cushion workers and the ordinary Ghanaian against the effects of these new taxes and levies,” he said in his address to delegates.
He also noted how the Coronavirus pandemic advent had impacted negatively on workers and the union’s work.
“Due to the pandemic 770,000 workers have suffered cuts in salaries and wages while 42,000 workers lost their jobs with devastating rippling effect on financial viability of labour unions,” he emphasised.
Mr. Ayawine also bemoaned the financial sector clean up carried out by the Bank of Ghana noting that it had affected members especially the rural and community banks though the exercise brought sanity and discipline in the financial sector.
He continued that “directives by the BoG to rural banks not to increase salaries of workers has brought untold hardship to workers and has asked government to look at that again. We want government to speed up payment of the rest of the locked up funds of some rural banks though most of them have been paid.”
BY Daniel Yao Dayee