TUC tasked to help government solve economic problems

Some members of the Wa District Council of Labour, have urged the Trades Union Congress (TUC) to concentrate in helping the government to find solutions to the current economic problems facing the country. They said the TUC had over the years focused in fighting for salary increase, protecting the interest of workers and criticising governments� economic policies without giving options as to how these problems could be solved. The workers gave the advice at a meeting of the Council in Wa, to deliberate on a statement by the Secretary-General of the TUC on the current state of the nation�s economy. They attributed the country�s dire financial situation to the large size of the Government machinery, alleging that the cumulative emoluments of a deputy minister of state could pay the salaries of 10 university graduates in employment. �We need competent directors and not ministers,� one worker remarked at the forum. On productivity, the workers said it is being undermined by government�s inability to release money for running of the departments and agencies since 2012. The Wa Council of Labour called on the Government to facilitate the growth of local industries to generate employment and conserve foreign currency for other critical areas of the economy. It urged the TUC leadership to also play a lead role in the de-politicisation of the economy. Mr Godfrey Balbaare, Acting Upper West Regional Secretary of the TUC said though the main function of the organisation is to fight for better condition of service for workers and to protect jobs, it had on many occasions succeeded in getting government to review policies for the benefit of the citizenry. He said organised labour however, has on several occasions provided options to government policies, which government refused to carry on board. Mr William Adii, Regional Industrial Relations Officer of the Public Services Workers Union said the TUC leadership had moved away from agitations to scientific reasoning to fight for the interest of workers. He said TUC inputs in the annual budgets of the country never covered only salaries and wages but also other sectors of the economy.