Workers of the Ghana Broadcasting Corporation (GBC) have petitioned the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations and the Ministry of Information, as a matter of urgency, to ask the Chief Executive Officer of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission (FWSC) to reverse the directive to block their allowances.
There has been an impasse between GBC and the FWSC over the past few weeks, with GBC workers engaging in a series of protests to press their demands.
The protests followed the removal of some allowances enjoyed by GBC workers, which the FWSC has described as illegal.
According to the workers of the state broadcaster, the FWSC wrote to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department (CAGD) to stop the payment of the allowances.
In a joint petition signed by the GBC Divisional Union and Senior Management Staff Union to the two ministries, the Chairman of the Unions, Sam Nat Kevor, said:
“In conclusion, the Unions humbly request your good offices to call the CEO of the Fair Wages and Salaries Commission to order and ask him to reverse the illegal directive.
“The Fair Wages and Salaries Commission has written to the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to stop the payment of some allowances enjoyed by GBC workers. The Unions are of the considered opinion that this directive is not grounded in law and is, therefore, illegal. We find the decision very detestable on the grounds that it contravenes the 1992 Constitution and the Labour Law, Act 651 of 2003. This stance of the Unions is informed by the following:”
The workers of GBC also were hopeful that the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations would prevail on the CAGD to restore the allowances, describing the removal as a violation of natural justice.
“We also pray that you use your good offices to prevail on the Controller and Accountant General’s Department to restore the allowances because the removal is a violation of natural justice as spelt out in the 1992 Constitution. It is also a grievous offence to the Labour Law, Act 651,” GBC workers appealed.