He that is down needs fear no fall, he that is low, no pride; he that is humble ever shall have God to be his guide.
The above hymnal lyrics were prominent in the good old days and gave the impression that when you are already defeated in a battle, you do not care about the strength of your opponent again. The scenario is similar to what the government of the day finds itself in.
After the president directed the finance minister to start engaging with the IMF for a bail out from our economic woes, a number of Ghanaians are reeling from the pain of that huge blow. Others appear to be singing ‘we told you so’.
But as a nation, before we would dry our tears and focus on what conditions the IMF would set out for us to redeem our image, here comes another trouble from four teacher unions. The teacher unions have declared an indefinite nationwide strike over demands for the payment of their Cost of Living Allowance (COLA).
The Ghana National Association of Teachers (GNAT), the National Association of Graduate Teachers (NAGRAT), the Teachers and Educational Workers Union (TEWU) and the Coalition of Concerned Teachers Ghana (CCT) are demanding that 20% of their basic salary be paid to them.
This, to us at The Chronicle, is a big blow to the government, which has already thrown in the towel for the IMF to step in to streamline our economic portfolio.
In the eyes of the opposition, the decision by the government to run to the IMF for a bail out after it snubbed earlier suggestions to do so, means it has suffered a knock out.
Whilst the government is down on its knees, the teacher unions have struck, withdrawing their services both in and outside the classroom.
The Chronicle is saddened by the action of the teacher unions, especially at a time the government is burdened with so much that it has called for external support.
We are not holding brief for the government, but it appears the timing of the industrial action by the teacher unions is almost like serving the state with double agony.
We are very much aware that all the calls by the teacher unions on government for appropriate action have fallen on deaf ears. We equally appreciate the fact that the unions’ industrial action is as a result of the government’s failure to pay the COLA, which the teachers argue could have helped to mitigate the impact of the rising cost of living. But could the teacher unions have found a better time to lay down their tools?
Certainly, we believe the teacher unions demanding what their due can be done at any time, but when you know very well that the government is already on its knees, adding to its woes may not be a good option.
The Chronicle is however glad that the Employment and Labour Relations Ministry has invited the leadership of the teacher unions to a meeting over their demands. That decision by the ministry is a good step in the right direction and we call on all stakeholders to quickly resolve the matter and ensure that calm returns to the labour front as the country engages the IMF to ultimately lift us from our economic woes.
For those rejoicing over the fate that has befallen the government in recent times, they should remember the good old lyrics that ‘he that is down need fear no fall’.
Ghana shall survive all these turbulent times and still shine on the continent.
