Strike actions by labour unions have been by organized labour unions declining relevance since the industrial revolution till now. strike actions by labour unions is one of the tools available for unions in their dealings with government or employers – but certainly it is not the most effective mechanism for addressing labour disputes.?? This is because strike actions hurt other parties who may have absolutely nothing to do with the dispute and in developing countries like Ghana; ironically strike actions hurt the ordinary workers the most.?
It is clear to all that the ongoing strike action by public sector workers hurting the ordinary Ghanaian worker the most in the sense that it is the same ordinary workers who depend almost entirely on these public services. The public schools in the country are attended mostly by children of low income earners include public sector workers. The same can be said for the attendants to public health facilities and other public facilities. We all know or should know that the minimum wage earners and lower income earners depend the most on public services and so they are the most vulnerable when public workers embark on strike actions. The leadership of our trade unions should know this also otherwise they are not fit to be leading such unions. The public sector workers themselves understand this and that is perhaps why most the public workers refused to join in the strike action it began until they were violently threatened in some cases.
If we all or at least most of us know that strike actions by public sector workers hurt the same public workers the most, why have strike actions become the weapon of choice for the leadership of labour unions?? Why do leaders of labour unions seem impatient to declare strike actions without exhausting the laid down procedures in the labour?
Here are a few answers to these questions, Firstly it is clear that the leaders of the labour unions like the most of our political elites have lost touch completely with the people they are supposed to be leading. For instance, the national leadership of trade unions can afford to declare strike actions at the least opportunity, because they do not understand the hardship of the ordinary workers whose salaries are delaying as a result of the strike face. The leaders of unions have multiples streams of income and can manage without their monthly salaries. They can afford bank overdrafts if need be whereas the ordinary workers have no such facility.
Secondly, the leadership trade unions have become so incompetent and completely bereft of critical thinking and problem solving skills to engage government in negotiations to get better conditions of service for their people. All they seem to do best is to take entrench positions and threaten government with strike action without properly analyzing the pros and cons of such action on their members and their families as well as on the economy as a whole. With the present case of government holding tier two pension funds, anybody with less than average intelligence would know that, at least the unions could go court to compelled government to release the funds and yet leadership of labour unions hurriedly declare a national strike over to resolve this matter.
Another reason for the numerous strike actions and threats of strike actions is the fact that successive governments have given the impression that strike in the only language they understand.? It is common for government officials to sit and do anything about labour grievances until a strike action is declared before addressing the issues. ?It appears that ministers and government officials enjoy the national media attention they receive when such strike actions are declared. This attitude of government and government officials to delay their responses to issues which they know they must address until strike actions are announced has made strike action a very power tools for getting labour issues addressed.
Lastly but not the least, strike actions have not only become a very powerful tool to get governments to act but has also become a powerful mechanism with direct no cost to labours unions. ?Ghana seems to be one of the few countries on the planet where unions suffer no cost for declaring strike action. In fact public sector worker stand to benefit when they declare embark on strike actions. This is because workers are paid for no work done while they spend their time doing their private businesses. For the leaders of trade unions, declaring strike actions and speaking on radio about such strike actions have become a major leadership function.? The only time workers hear of the leaders is when declare strike actions and talk about same on radio.
Strike actions by trade unions are no longer the most effective strategy to addressing labour grievances hence their declining prominence in use especially in the more developed world. Strike actions have the unintended effect of hurting people who may not be involved with the negotiation at all sometimes including the workers themselves and their families.? ?Leadership of trade unions must also recognize this fact and change their strategies in engaging with government on resolving their grievances. The workers themselves must also demand proactive leadership from their leaders and officials. Government must also do well to address labour concerns with seriousness and dispatch because strikes actions do serve anybody?s interest.
Source:?Robert Obenyah
