24-01-09
THE Ghana Rice Inter-Professional Body has called on local rice farmers to adopt the appropriate measures to produce quality rice to meet the demands of consumers.
It addition, it said rice processors should process quality rice with the highest hygienic and quality standards to meet the taste of the consuming public.
The Executive Secretary of GRIB, Mr Fedelis Avogo, who made the call at the opening of the fourth annual general assembly in Accra yesterday, stressed the need for a strong political will, a regulatory system and market channel to boost rice production in the country.
He said the issue of high operational costs to take care of inputs, labour and capital were killing the industry, saying that in spite of those bottlenecks, the body had been able to build the capacity of its members to address those problems.
“Over the years, GRIB has tried to manage these bottlenecks by building the capacities of its members to do bulk purchasing and proposal writing for credit, record keeping as we modernise farm practices. It is, however, apparent that building of capacities in this strategic industry alone begs the question in offering solutions,” he said.
Mr Avogo noted that members had found it difficult to stabilise prices because of the failure to enforce regulations, adding that due to the over-liberalised economy, traders bought inputs from different sources.
That, he said, had resulted in the quotation of different prices on the market, and, therefore, stressed the need for farmers “to harmonise prices in a symbiotic industry if we should achieve price stability”.
The Chairman of the Northern Region Rice Growers Association, Alhaji Von Salifu, who chaired the function, appealed to the new government to work with farmers to improve local food production.
According to him, farmers would support policies that would boost agriculture, and urged the government to put in place measures that would ensure that farmers got improved seedlings.
He expressed concern about the high interest rates charged by the banks and other financial institutions, and appealed to the government to intervene in the matter.
The President of GRIB, Mr Ralph Mends-Odro, called on members to work together to ensure the success of the body.
A representative of the French Development Agency, Mr Thomas Gubernatis, urged the body to identify alternative sources of funding its activities.
The General Agriculture Workers Union and Technoserve, in their solidarity messages, pledged to support rice farmers to ensure that they produced quality rice.
At the assembly meeting, new executives would be elected, while a code of ethics, among other things, would be adopted.
Tuesday, January 27, 2009
Trading activities double • On Ghana Stock Exchange
24-01-09
THE Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) made significant gains last year in spite of the global financial crunch, with the trading of about 600 million shares estimated at GH¢350 million.
The number of shares represent twice the number traded in 2007. The index gained by 58 per cent, making it one of the best performing exchanges in the world, the General Manager of the GSE, Mr Ekow Afedzie, said at the launch of i-broker in Accra yesterday.
Operated by CAL Brokers Ltd, i-broker is Ghana’s first online stock trading and tracking platform.
The facility is expected to ensure a direct access to the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) as well as buy and sell orders among other things, following the commencement of electronic trading on the GSE.
Mr Afedzie noted that the automation of the GSE was one of the innovations which would change the face of the capital market in the country.
According to him, the stock exchange was undergoing modernisation and that the new features being introduced would bring confidence to investors.
These features included day trading which ensured the buying and selling of stocks the same day, borrowing and lending, electronic clearing and settlement system and risk management, among other things.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CAL Brokers Limited, Mr David Tetteh, said the introduction of the i-broker had enabled brokers from other countries to trade on the GSE.
According to him, the introduction of the facility would open up the local market to more investors, making trading and monitoring of stocks easier to achieve greater liquidity and transparency for the capital market.
The platform is said to have made CAL Brokers execute a greater chunk of trading on the exchange, accounting for about 61.30 per cent of the trading share.
The Chairman of the GSE and Managing Director of CAL Bank, Mr Frank Adu Jr, who launched the online trading platform, said the facility would bridge the technology gap between the local market and the developed world.
The Chief Operating Officer of CAL Brokers, Mr Patrick Kpodo, who gave an overview of i-broker, described it as the “Ghana’s first comprehensive trading platform.”
THE Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) made significant gains last year in spite of the global financial crunch, with the trading of about 600 million shares estimated at GH¢350 million.
The number of shares represent twice the number traded in 2007. The index gained by 58 per cent, making it one of the best performing exchanges in the world, the General Manager of the GSE, Mr Ekow Afedzie, said at the launch of i-broker in Accra yesterday.
Operated by CAL Brokers Ltd, i-broker is Ghana’s first online stock trading and tracking platform.
The facility is expected to ensure a direct access to the Ghana Stock Exchange (GSE) as well as buy and sell orders among other things, following the commencement of electronic trading on the GSE.
Mr Afedzie noted that the automation of the GSE was one of the innovations which would change the face of the capital market in the country.
According to him, the stock exchange was undergoing modernisation and that the new features being introduced would bring confidence to investors.
These features included day trading which ensured the buying and selling of stocks the same day, borrowing and lending, electronic clearing and settlement system and risk management, among other things.
The Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CAL Brokers Limited, Mr David Tetteh, said the introduction of the i-broker had enabled brokers from other countries to trade on the GSE.
According to him, the introduction of the facility would open up the local market to more investors, making trading and monitoring of stocks easier to achieve greater liquidity and transparency for the capital market.
The platform is said to have made CAL Brokers execute a greater chunk of trading on the exchange, accounting for about 61.30 per cent of the trading share.
The Chairman of the GSE and Managing Director of CAL Bank, Mr Frank Adu Jr, who launched the online trading platform, said the facility would bridge the technology gap between the local market and the developed world.
The Chief Operating Officer of CAL Brokers, Mr Patrick Kpodo, who gave an overview of i-broker, described it as the “Ghana’s first comprehensive trading platform.”
MPs, ministers in Third Republic fight for ex gratia
Front Page
26-01-08
MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) and ministers of state in the Limann administration of the Third Republic have renewed their claim for their end-of-service benefits (ESBs).
They said in spite of petitions to the immediate past government on the matter, their ESBs had remained outstanding and, therefore, called on the current government to factor them into current discussions on ESBs for the President and other top officials of the past administration.
They argued that MPs were entitled to gratuities, as stated in Articles 95 and 96 of the Third Republican Constitution whose administration was truncated on December 31,1981.
A representative of the ex-MPs, Madam Monica Patience Atenka, who called at the offices of the Daily Graphic last Friday, said ex-President Kufuor did nothing to address their problem, despite the fact that they had petitioned him on the matter.
She said although the ex-MPs had made representations at the National Reconciliation Committee (NRC), they were not mentioned in the recommendations of the commission at all.
She said they had gone with a delegation to the Castle to discuss the matter but nothing came out of it.
“We want to inform the President about this, since the NRC was set up to heal wounds. However, he did not do anything about it,” she said.
Mrs Atenka said the ex-MPs, through their President, Nii Fata, had written to President Kufuor asking for ESBs and compensation similar to those paid to MPs and ministers of state in the Fourth Republic covering the period they (ex MPs) would have served.
The letter also asked for the replacement of cars seized from MPs during the December 31, 1981 revolution and the payment of the unpaid salaries of ministers and deputy ministers.
“We, therefore, decided to write to him through our lawyer,” she said.
Madam Atenka said the letter was misconstrued to mean taking the President to court, adding, “But I went to explain to the Chief of Staff that it was not so and even showed him what was contained in the letter our lawyer wrote.”
She said in spite of that, nothing was heard from the ex-President till he left office on January 6, 2007, saying that they (ex-MPs) and ministers had not been treated fairly at all since December 31, 1981.
The letter written by their solicitor read in part, “But for the 1981 coup d’etat led by former President Rawlings, our clients, particularly the MPs, would have completed their term and, therefore, they should be deemed to have completed their terms and therefore entitled to gratuities and also their vehicles that were seized should be returned to them or in the alternative be replaced for them.
“In the circumstances, we pray that our clients’ outstanding salaries, as well as their gratuities, be compiled and paid to them, together with the accrued interest, as the case may be.”
Madam Atenka said the ex-MPs had not been allowed to complete their terms.
26-01-08
MEMBERS of Parliament (MPs) and ministers of state in the Limann administration of the Third Republic have renewed their claim for their end-of-service benefits (ESBs).
They said in spite of petitions to the immediate past government on the matter, their ESBs had remained outstanding and, therefore, called on the current government to factor them into current discussions on ESBs for the President and other top officials of the past administration.
They argued that MPs were entitled to gratuities, as stated in Articles 95 and 96 of the Third Republican Constitution whose administration was truncated on December 31,1981.
A representative of the ex-MPs, Madam Monica Patience Atenka, who called at the offices of the Daily Graphic last Friday, said ex-President Kufuor did nothing to address their problem, despite the fact that they had petitioned him on the matter.
She said although the ex-MPs had made representations at the National Reconciliation Committee (NRC), they were not mentioned in the recommendations of the commission at all.
She said they had gone with a delegation to the Castle to discuss the matter but nothing came out of it.
“We want to inform the President about this, since the NRC was set up to heal wounds. However, he did not do anything about it,” she said.
Mrs Atenka said the ex-MPs, through their President, Nii Fata, had written to President Kufuor asking for ESBs and compensation similar to those paid to MPs and ministers of state in the Fourth Republic covering the period they (ex MPs) would have served.
The letter also asked for the replacement of cars seized from MPs during the December 31, 1981 revolution and the payment of the unpaid salaries of ministers and deputy ministers.
“We, therefore, decided to write to him through our lawyer,” she said.
Madam Atenka said the letter was misconstrued to mean taking the President to court, adding, “But I went to explain to the Chief of Staff that it was not so and even showed him what was contained in the letter our lawyer wrote.”
She said in spite of that, nothing was heard from the ex-President till he left office on January 6, 2007, saying that they (ex-MPs) and ministers had not been treated fairly at all since December 31, 1981.
The letter written by their solicitor read in part, “But for the 1981 coup d’etat led by former President Rawlings, our clients, particularly the MPs, would have completed their term and, therefore, they should be deemed to have completed their terms and therefore entitled to gratuities and also their vehicles that were seized should be returned to them or in the alternative be replaced for them.
“In the circumstances, we pray that our clients’ outstanding salaries, as well as their gratuities, be compiled and paid to them, together with the accrued interest, as the case may be.”
Madam Atenka said the ex-MPs had not been allowed to complete their terms.
NAGRAT endorses 3-year SHS
Spread
27-01-08
THE National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has endorsed the move by the government to reduce the length of second-cycle education from four to three years.
The President of NAGRAT, Mr Kwame Alorvi, told the Daily Graphic that the content of the four-year syllabus was not different from that of the three years.
In addition, running the four-year programme would be an additional cost not only to the government but parents as well.
“Parents would have to pay fees to the fourth year and the government would also have to provide infrastructure and classrooms, among other facilities, for the schools,” he said.
The Minister of Education designate, Mr Alexander Tettey-Enyo, last Friday disclosed that one of the first things the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government was likely to do in the educational sector was the abolition of the four-year duration of the senior high school (SHS) and revert to the earlier three-year programme.
Outlining his vision for the Education Ministry to which he had been nominated as minister by President John Evans Atta Mills, Mr Tettey-Enyo, also a former acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, said the four-year programme had been announced by the past administration without putting in place the needed infrastructure, syllabi and textbooks to make it work.
He told the Daily Graphic that the government would initiate moves to abolish the four-year programme by first seeking an amendment to the Education Law which was passed by the Fourth Parliament last year.
Mr Alorvi noted that under the previous three-year programme there were eight periods per week for the elective subjects, adding that under the educational reform which made SHS four years, there were five periods per week for the electives.
He said another major problem for the four-year programme was the lack of electricity in some rural SHS.
He asked, “How will such schools do ICT?”
Meanwhile, the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) is holding an emergency executive meeting to brainstorm on the decision of the new government to reduce the four-year SHS to three years.
“We are meeting to take a decision and in three days we will state our position,” the President of CHASS, Mr Samuel Ofori-Adjei, told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
The first batch of the four-year SHS students under the reform introduced by the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is expected to enter the fourth year in the 2010/2011 academic year.
27-01-08
THE National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT) has endorsed the move by the government to reduce the length of second-cycle education from four to three years.
The President of NAGRAT, Mr Kwame Alorvi, told the Daily Graphic that the content of the four-year syllabus was not different from that of the three years.
In addition, running the four-year programme would be an additional cost not only to the government but parents as well.
“Parents would have to pay fees to the fourth year and the government would also have to provide infrastructure and classrooms, among other facilities, for the schools,” he said.
The Minister of Education designate, Mr Alexander Tettey-Enyo, last Friday disclosed that one of the first things the National Democratic Congress (NDC) government was likely to do in the educational sector was the abolition of the four-year duration of the senior high school (SHS) and revert to the earlier three-year programme.
Outlining his vision for the Education Ministry to which he had been nominated as minister by President John Evans Atta Mills, Mr Tettey-Enyo, also a former acting Director-General of the Ghana Education Service, said the four-year programme had been announced by the past administration without putting in place the needed infrastructure, syllabi and textbooks to make it work.
He told the Daily Graphic that the government would initiate moves to abolish the four-year programme by first seeking an amendment to the Education Law which was passed by the Fourth Parliament last year.
Mr Alorvi noted that under the previous three-year programme there were eight periods per week for the elective subjects, adding that under the educational reform which made SHS four years, there were five periods per week for the electives.
He said another major problem for the four-year programme was the lack of electricity in some rural SHS.
He asked, “How will such schools do ICT?”
Meanwhile, the Conference of Heads of Assisted Secondary Schools (CHASS) is holding an emergency executive meeting to brainstorm on the decision of the new government to reduce the four-year SHS to three years.
“We are meeting to take a decision and in three days we will state our position,” the President of CHASS, Mr Samuel Ofori-Adjei, told the Daily Graphic in an interview.
The first batch of the four-year SHS students under the reform introduced by the government of the New Patriotic Party (NPP) is expected to enter the fourth year in the 2010/2011 academic year.
Sunday, January 18, 2009
Legon to receive applications on-line
19-01-09
Page 11
THE University of Ghana, Legon will from this year start receiving applications for admission on-line, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Kwesi Yankah, has announced.
“We are going electronic and hi-tech. The on-line process is faster and neater than the manual process,” he told the Daily Graphic at the weekend.
According to him, the manual process of application had been fraught with a lot of problems, and said forms presented by applicants for instance had had carious inaccuracies.
Under the on-line application process, he said, applicants were to obtain a scratch card with banker’s draft at designated places such as the university’s cash office, Information Centre and the Institute of Adult Education offices nationwide, and follow the instructions on them.
The university will hold a three-day forum next week to educate prospective applicants on the admission process at the university.
The objective of the forum, which would be held from Tuesday, January 20, 2009 to Thursday, January 22, 2009, is to clear all the doubts and misconceptions about admissions to the university.
Professor Yankah noted that the orientation programme, which started in 2007, was to educate members of the public on all they needed to know about the admission process.
In spite of the information provided in the admission brochure, he said applicants over the years found it difficult to understand the process.
In 2007, he said, the university held an outreach programme through which it sent resource persons to the various regions to educate prospective applicants on the admission process.
At such programmes, some of which were held on certain radio stations, Professor Yankah said parents, guardians and students were given the opportunity to ask all the questions they had on the admission process.
The university, he explained, then decided to hold the programme at its campus for some days to cut down cost, saying that general talks on admissions were given during the programme after which people were allowed to ask questions.
The admissions forum would provide comprehensive explanation on choice of subjects, prerequisites for courses, calculation of aggregates and all relevant information about admission to the university.
Page 11
THE University of Ghana, Legon will from this year start receiving applications for admission on-line, the Pro-Vice Chancellor of the university, Professor Kwesi Yankah, has announced.
“We are going electronic and hi-tech. The on-line process is faster and neater than the manual process,” he told the Daily Graphic at the weekend.
According to him, the manual process of application had been fraught with a lot of problems, and said forms presented by applicants for instance had had carious inaccuracies.
Under the on-line application process, he said, applicants were to obtain a scratch card with banker’s draft at designated places such as the university’s cash office, Information Centre and the Institute of Adult Education offices nationwide, and follow the instructions on them.
The university will hold a three-day forum next week to educate prospective applicants on the admission process at the university.
The objective of the forum, which would be held from Tuesday, January 20, 2009 to Thursday, January 22, 2009, is to clear all the doubts and misconceptions about admissions to the university.
Professor Yankah noted that the orientation programme, which started in 2007, was to educate members of the public on all they needed to know about the admission process.
In spite of the information provided in the admission brochure, he said applicants over the years found it difficult to understand the process.
In 2007, he said, the university held an outreach programme through which it sent resource persons to the various regions to educate prospective applicants on the admission process.
At such programmes, some of which were held on certain radio stations, Professor Yankah said parents, guardians and students were given the opportunity to ask all the questions they had on the admission process.
The university, he explained, then decided to hold the programme at its campus for some days to cut down cost, saying that general talks on admissions were given during the programme after which people were allowed to ask questions.
The admissions forum would provide comprehensive explanation on choice of subjects, prerequisites for courses, calculation of aggregates and all relevant information about admission to the university.
Road accident fatalities reduce in 2008
16-01-09
Back Page
ONE thousand five hundred and eighteen people were killed, while 8,037 were injured, in road crashes across the country last year, registering an increase in road fatalities but a reduction in injuries over the previous year’s figures.
While the death toll increased by 172 following the death of 1,346 people in 2007, the number injured dropped by 3, 413 from last year’s figure of 11,450.
According to the 2008 statistics on road traffic accidents, there was also a reduction in the number of accidents, as well as the vehicles involved.
The statistics revealed that 11,209 accidents, involving 17,994 vehicles, occurred last year, as against the 2007 figures of 11,648 accidents involving 17,496 vehicles.
In 2008, the number of serious cases was 2,896, while the minor ones were 7,120. Those detained in hospital were 2,896, while 7,120 were discharged immediately after they had been rushed to the hospital.
The year 2007 recorded 2,962 serious cases, with the minor ones being 7,573.
According to the statistics, the Greater Accra Region recorded the highest number of accidents of 4,976, involving 9,147 vehicles. The Ashanti Region followed with 1,772 cases involving 9,147 vehicles.
However, the Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of deaths through accidents with a toll of 268, with the Greater Accra recording 220 deaths.
The Upper West Region had the lowest number of cases of 49, involving 87 vehicles, with 32 killed. There were 48 injured people.
The Eastern Region recorded 1,001 accidents; Tema, 813; Central Region, 739; Western Region, 668; Brong Ahafo, 616; Volta, 365; Northern, 116 and Upper East, 94.
The Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police Daniel Avorga, attributed the reduction in the number of deaths from accidents to the wearing of seat belts.
He said more people would have died if they had not worn their seat belts, adding that the law on the wearing of seat belts would be enforced by the police.
“If people wear seat belts the number of deaths and injuries recorded on our roads will reduce. The wearing of seat belts saves lives,” he emphasised.
DCOP Avorga said the statistics showed that areas with high economic activities recorded more accidents, while those with low activities had fewer accidents.
Back Page
ONE thousand five hundred and eighteen people were killed, while 8,037 were injured, in road crashes across the country last year, registering an increase in road fatalities but a reduction in injuries over the previous year’s figures.
While the death toll increased by 172 following the death of 1,346 people in 2007, the number injured dropped by 3, 413 from last year’s figure of 11,450.
According to the 2008 statistics on road traffic accidents, there was also a reduction in the number of accidents, as well as the vehicles involved.
The statistics revealed that 11,209 accidents, involving 17,994 vehicles, occurred last year, as against the 2007 figures of 11,648 accidents involving 17,496 vehicles.
In 2008, the number of serious cases was 2,896, while the minor ones were 7,120. Those detained in hospital were 2,896, while 7,120 were discharged immediately after they had been rushed to the hospital.
The year 2007 recorded 2,962 serious cases, with the minor ones being 7,573.
According to the statistics, the Greater Accra Region recorded the highest number of accidents of 4,976, involving 9,147 vehicles. The Ashanti Region followed with 1,772 cases involving 9,147 vehicles.
However, the Ashanti Region recorded the highest number of deaths through accidents with a toll of 268, with the Greater Accra recording 220 deaths.
The Upper West Region had the lowest number of cases of 49, involving 87 vehicles, with 32 killed. There were 48 injured people.
The Eastern Region recorded 1,001 accidents; Tema, 813; Central Region, 739; Western Region, 668; Brong Ahafo, 616; Volta, 365; Northern, 116 and Upper East, 94.
The Commander of the Motor Traffic and Transport Unit (MTTU) of the Ghana Police Service, Deputy Commissioner of Police Daniel Avorga, attributed the reduction in the number of deaths from accidents to the wearing of seat belts.
He said more people would have died if they had not worn their seat belts, adding that the law on the wearing of seat belts would be enforced by the police.
“If people wear seat belts the number of deaths and injuries recorded on our roads will reduce. The wearing of seat belts saves lives,” he emphasised.
DCOP Avorga said the statistics showed that areas with high economic activities recorded more accidents, while those with low activities had fewer accidents.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
Salary increase could trigger inflation - Gamey
Back Page Lead
15-01-09
A LABOUR Expert, Mr Austin Gamey, has warned that any attempt to implement the recent salary increases announced by the previous government will trigger a consequential inflation for the country.
That, he said, was as a result of the huge expenditures made before and during last year’s general election.
Mr Gamey told the Daily Graphic yesterday that it was improper for the employer to unilaterally announce percentage increases without the consent or consultation with public sector workers and the various trade unions.
The immediate-past government announced salary increase of between 16-34 per cent on the eve of its departure from office on January 6, 2009.
Mr Gamey suggested that other means could have been employed by the then government (employer) with the understanding of the unions to adjust salaries to certain percentages instead of lump sum percentage increases.
The issue of salary adjustment, he said, was a technical thing that required the input of social partners and experts, adding that there must be returns on the investment being made by the public who paid taxes for people to be paid.
“Section 98G of the Labour Act demands that salary increases must necessarily go with a matching productivity level. This is the guiding principle,” he said, adding that for that reason, the employer should provide the financial health of the nation so that workers would not feel they had been cheated.
Mr Gamey noted that the Fair Wages Commission was set up to ensure that sanity prevailed in salary administration on the labour front.
He underscored the need for the government to have confidence in the Fair Wages Commission, and urged it, as an employer and the workers union to negotiate.
He, however, charged the unions to give the government sometime to settle down.
On ensuring sanity on the labour front, Mr Gamey indicated that there was a Labour Act (Act 651) which “language is an industrial relations language and not a legalistic language”.
Mr Gamey said the Labour Law was to help social partners and the government to help promote labour management co-operation in the country.
“Therefore, none of the social partners should do anything to disturb the smooth implementation of the law,” he said, saying that “this is why an independent National Labour Commission was set up to oversee the actors through mediation, facilitation and arbitration”.
Mr Gamey charged labour and management to desist from the act of combative litigation and coercive force to ensure that sanity prevailed on the country’s labour front.
That, he said, was to ensure a smooth industrial front to enable Ghana to compete effectively on the global market, adding that the cost of doing business hinged on co-operation and understanding.
“If there are differences between labour and management, then we are doomed to failure,” he said, adding that labour and management must co-operate anytime there was a slip by one of the parties.
He charged members of the Judiciary to be careful regarding the precedent they set in their rulings on labour issues that were brought before them, since there were instances where labour unions had complained about the use of legalistic language by the Judiciary.
Mr Gamey appealed to the media to also desist from inflaming passions on labour issues.
15-01-09
A LABOUR Expert, Mr Austin Gamey, has warned that any attempt to implement the recent salary increases announced by the previous government will trigger a consequential inflation for the country.
That, he said, was as a result of the huge expenditures made before and during last year’s general election.
Mr Gamey told the Daily Graphic yesterday that it was improper for the employer to unilaterally announce percentage increases without the consent or consultation with public sector workers and the various trade unions.
The immediate-past government announced salary increase of between 16-34 per cent on the eve of its departure from office on January 6, 2009.
Mr Gamey suggested that other means could have been employed by the then government (employer) with the understanding of the unions to adjust salaries to certain percentages instead of lump sum percentage increases.
The issue of salary adjustment, he said, was a technical thing that required the input of social partners and experts, adding that there must be returns on the investment being made by the public who paid taxes for people to be paid.
“Section 98G of the Labour Act demands that salary increases must necessarily go with a matching productivity level. This is the guiding principle,” he said, adding that for that reason, the employer should provide the financial health of the nation so that workers would not feel they had been cheated.
Mr Gamey noted that the Fair Wages Commission was set up to ensure that sanity prevailed in salary administration on the labour front.
He underscored the need for the government to have confidence in the Fair Wages Commission, and urged it, as an employer and the workers union to negotiate.
He, however, charged the unions to give the government sometime to settle down.
On ensuring sanity on the labour front, Mr Gamey indicated that there was a Labour Act (Act 651) which “language is an industrial relations language and not a legalistic language”.
Mr Gamey said the Labour Law was to help social partners and the government to help promote labour management co-operation in the country.
“Therefore, none of the social partners should do anything to disturb the smooth implementation of the law,” he said, saying that “this is why an independent National Labour Commission was set up to oversee the actors through mediation, facilitation and arbitration”.
Mr Gamey charged labour and management to desist from the act of combative litigation and coercive force to ensure that sanity prevailed on the country’s labour front.
That, he said, was to ensure a smooth industrial front to enable Ghana to compete effectively on the global market, adding that the cost of doing business hinged on co-operation and understanding.
“If there are differences between labour and management, then we are doomed to failure,” he said, adding that labour and management must co-operate anytime there was a slip by one of the parties.
He charged members of the Judiciary to be careful regarding the precedent they set in their rulings on labour issues that were brought before them, since there were instances where labour unions had complained about the use of legalistic language by the Judiciary.
Mr Gamey appealed to the media to also desist from inflaming passions on labour issues.
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