Wheeew! What a day! I even lost my breath for a second. How was you all’s day? Bet yours was as tiring as mine but can’t complain yeah? Altogether, thank goodness that we survived the day and have retired to bed by now. I literally forgot to post today but here I am, having you all in mind. My cherished readers can’t go a day without a dose of my post so why will I be selfish and not share. Today’s post will delve into the issue of fair wages and salary as we juxtapose it to which policies will help us achieve this goal for the labour force in Ghana.

Shopping spree

Recently, I went shopping for some essential items for the household and mine, prices have skyrocketed. That aside, I met a rather gloomy shop attendant and got worried as her countenance was really down. Although I wasn’t in high spirits myself, I felt as a shop attendant she needed to have that warm and hospitable nature which will draw more customers to the shop. My inquisitive self couldn’t help but engage her to know what was wrong. Although hesitant at first, she opened up to say she had received less than what she expected to receive as salary that month.

Salary deductions

This revelation of why my once bubbly shop attendant had became closed up was not only worrying but something I resonated with. The issue of salary deductions in Ghana is rather alarming as some business owners and employees have resorted to unfairly subjecting their workers to deductions for little or no offence. On the other hand, there are some workers who have never experienced this before and have gone on to receive huge bonuses and incentives in their line of duty (just for being on the right team).

Work force

It seems to me that the work force in the country is divided into two. Those on the ‘good side’ seem to be enjoying the proverbial milk and honey on the land while others feed on the crumbs. Why will one enter a company and be promised x amount only to take home less in the name of penalties and deductions? Meanwhile other workers have never heard of this phenomenon as if they live on Pluto. This division is really glaring because even for the shop attendant I encountered, her colleague later came into the discussion and confessed that she had never experienced that before.

Corruption

The stealing and looting in our system gives much room for questioning. Some line managers feed on these deductions from workers and in no time build houses and drive lavish cars from this dubious act. When questioned, you either lose your job or become a victim of frustration at the workplace. How can we run a productive economy based on such behaviors?

Accountability

Our leaders at work and at home are the same people who vie for higher positions in governance. If they keep cheating the labour force, what will they do when they lead an entire nation? We need a leader who can build strong systems and structures that stop these forms of behavior and put perpetrators to book. And so whether we are promised a 24/7 economy or a digital one, we hope that our salaries are fair and dispensed to us just as we negotiated for.