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The Trade Union Congress (TUC) has voiced strong concerns over the worsening economic conditions of Ghanaian workers, stating that a national reset, as envisioned by former President John Mahama, cannot be achieved without significant improvements in wages and working conditions.
Speaking at the 2025 May Day celebration at Black Star Square in Accra, TUC Chairman Bernard Owusu highlighted the urgent need for fair remuneration, stating that workers’ livelihoods have deteriorated since Mahama’s previous term in office.
“Our pay and working conditions are deteriorating. The wage situation in Ghana has worsened since you were last in government,” Mr. Owusu stated, adding that inflation over the past four years has eroded real wages and widened inequality across sectors.
He criticized the national pension system as deeply unfair, pointing out the vast disparity between the lowest and highest pensions, which stand at GH¢396.58 and GH¢21,792.73, respectively. “This is not the outcome workers envisaged under the three-tier workers’ scheme,” he noted.
Mr. Owusu also condemned violations of workers’ rights, especially the right to unionize, and cited the continued unemployment of workers from Asogli for exercising such rights. He appealed to Mahama to reinstate these workers and offer amnesty to all public sector employees affected by recent mass terminations.
“As we gather under a government committed to resetting governance and restoring hope, it is only fitting that we chart a new course—one that refrains from repeating past mistakes,” he asserted.
To ensure a truly inclusive and fair reset, Mr. Owusu urged the adoption of a living wage, unification of public sector pay and pensions, and the establishment of an independent emoluments commission. He concluded by calling for a complete overhaul of the Labour Act to better safeguard the rights of Ghanaian workers.
