Tema-Ghana, Aug. 12, – The Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) has called for an independent investigation into the circumstances surrounding the huge loss of 60 billion cedis at an exchange rate of GHC10.00—that’s a whopping six billion dollars by the Bank of Ghana.
“This cannot be classified as an ordinary loss under the current economic dispensation when all Ghanaians, especially public sector workers, are suffering, salaries have depreciated, prices of goods have gone up, and we cannot sit down and watch such huge money being thrown away just like that,” Mr. Abraham Koomson, GFL Secretary General, stated.
Mr. Koomson, who was reacting to the Bank of Ghana loss in an interview with said labour unions are calling for an independent investigation and overhauling of the management team and senior officers of the bank.
He also urged officials of the bank to stop responding politically and deal with the issues economically.
He said it was not acceptable that the national banking regulator could incur such a gargantuan loss on the blind side of Parliament, stressing there should be an immediate investigation to establish whether the banking regulator manipulated the banking system for either an individual’s or a group’s interest.
He expressed concern that while the Ghanaian government is on its knees, begging the International Monitory Fund and both domestic and foreign creditors for three billion dollars, the Bank of Ghana has blown six billion dollars.
Mr. Koomson noted that labour unions will not allow this to be a political banter between the ruling New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the main opposition National Democratic Congress (NDC) to pave the way for the issues to be swept under the carpet.
“Ghanaians cannot continue to sacrifice and tighten their belts only for some few to be reckless in the management of the resources of the state. This is unacceptable; therefore, labour unions on behalf of Ghanaian workers will marshal all powers to ensure that the proper thing is done,” he said.
He said Ghana cannot develop under such strange financial operations and decision-making at the Bank of Ghana, stressing that “this is the time for labour unions to demonstrate the capacity to defend the flag of Ghana”.
He also reiterated the call on labour unions to galvanise for a proactive labour front: “The labour front must effectively and efficiently represent and fight for the interests of workers in the country”.
Mr. Koomson said labour unrest or dissatisfaction displayed by workers this year demonstrates a sign of frustration, a sense of cheating, and other actions by policymakers and the government that were inimical to the growth of employees.
He said the labour front must unite and confront anyone, including the government and the management of establishments whose actions or inactions are not in the interest of the worker. “The labour union must not sit down again; we must rise up and fight for our fair share of the national cake”.
The GFL Secretary General stressed the need for “labour unions to unite now or we all perish soon,” explaining that because of disunity on the labour front, successive governments have exploited the division and infiltrated into the labour leadership to pursue political interests instead of labour.
