The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) has commended the public service and some multinational companies for ensuring job security amidst the outbreak of COVID-19 in Ghana.
According to the union, but for its timely intervention, many more employees would have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
So far, the Ghana Tourism Federation for instance says about 800,000 workers in the hospitality industry have lost their jobs due to the pandemic.
As the Union celebrates its 60th anniversary, the General Secretary of ICU, Solomon Kotei says his outfit will continue to fight for the rights of workers in Ghana.
“Because we are very dominant in the public sector, there is no indication of layoffs to come. But when you look at the private sectors, individuals and the multinationals – they have not given any signal of wanting to lay off any worker. In fact, they have not drawn us to the table of whether or not if they are going to do some salary cuts or what have you. This gives us the spirit that we need to go the extra mile to make sure that the businesses are sustained so that after this COVID-19, all of us will be able to find our jobs and keep our homes running.”
As the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic continues to widen globally and in Ghana, some companies in the country have shut down their operations due to low patronage.
Some have already laid-off casual workers and are preparing to cut down on permanent staff.
According to them, it was no longer prudent to continue operations when the numbers have dropped drastically; while they still pay salaries, bills and taxes.
Already, about 94,000 teachers from over 4,300 private schools in the country have not been paid due to the challenges imposed by the coronavirus outbreak, according the Ghana National Council of Private Schools (GNACOPS).
