Former Ghana’s High Commissioner to India, Lawyer Sam Pee Yalley has accused the Provisional National Defence Council (PNDC) regime of being responsible for the present emasculated state of the Trades Union Congress (TUC).
According to him, the TUC has ceased to be the once powerful tool for development and a protection buffer for workers in the country, not because of the making of the workers, but as a result of "undue political influences".
The former diplomat also alleged that the introduction of certain IMF policies, affected the efficacy and productiveness of trade union activities under the umbrella of the TUC.
Contributing on Radio Gold’s 'Alhaji and Alhaji' weekend talk show as a panelist on the current state of trade union groups in Ghana, Sam Pee Yalley explained that the Trades Union Movement he joined in 1977 was the strongest as the unionists had the commanding power to speak for the government to listen, but the story changed when PNDC took over power.
“We cannot look at the present situation of event to as it were categorized the contribution of Ghanaian workers without any historical perspectives…I joined the trade union movement as a strong activist in 1977 and those were the days up to 1984, those were the days that the trade unionists speak and the government listens. I am talking about the days of Issifu Ali and Ampiagyei, LGK Okloo… the current state of the TUC has not been the making of the workers but it has been undue political influences and sometimes charged activities of government”, he recounted.
He further claimed that “when the PNDC took over first, one of the key areas of attack was the TUC; some of us who were key members of the TUC and leftists were surprised because the PNDC was supposed to be a leftist organization, so on what grounds will the PNDC attack the TUC?”
“…we met and complained that we are leftist organization and the PNDC is supposed to be a leftist organization, maybe we have not aligned ourselves properly…we said let us demonstrate to show our solidarity to the chairman of PNDC at the Gonja barracks at the Burma Camp; surprisingly when we got there, we were rather beaten; we were mercilessly beaten and our leader Issifu Ali at that time had to go on an exile....since that time, the influence of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as a power tool of development, protection buffer for the workers started dwindling," he added.
Touching on the impotence of the current TUC following the introduction of IMF policy of retrenchment and restructuring in the public sector, he said the numbers of the union significantly decreased as a result of the IMF Conditionalities.
“As if that was not enough…I must be very frank as a statesman, sometimes you need to spill out the truth so that we correct ourselves; we brought this capitalist policies and these capitalist policies are not in consonance with the desires and aspirations of workers because as workers we act in solidarity, we act in our numbers but this structural adjustment actually reduced the numbers of the Trade Unions in the establishment”, he stated.
“It is a pity that we find ourselves in the current state of the worker; a state where nobody is protecting workers rights, a state where workers can be dismissed and it doesn’t matter and doesn’t bother anybody…Worse of all, we also introduced the Workers Defense Committee as rivals to the Trade Union Movement in the workplaces; so whatever we find the Trade Union Movement now, it is as a result of historical issues”, he reiterated.
Source: Daniel Adu Darko/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]
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Courageous man, a lot of the civilians were coerced to join the junta. He may have been a victim of circumstances. I like his bravery. One need to identify the problem correctly to rectify it. What are not truthful to ourselves, that is why it will take millions of year to change things in Ghana. Lets not insult him. we need people like him to fix the mess.
Curse be on you Sam Pee Yalley. You knew all these yet you joined the ***barred word*** brigade to rip Ghana off. Your confession will not set your mind free. You like many others including Obed Asamoah, Late Dr. Kwabena Adjei, and a host of greedy bastards are the bane of Ghanaians and the poor worker today. You sewed a seed of discord among the populace in order to perpetuate your stay in power so you can rip the country off the more. I remember on one occassion a Ghana Airways flight bound for London was recalled mid flight to return to Kotoka because one PNDC Secretary and His girfriend were supposed to be on the flight but arrived late after the flight had take off. You Sam Pee Yalley were part of this attitude of the PNDC era and so if Ghana Airways is dysfunctional today and workers thrown out, then you have no right to sit in a Radio studio to tell is about the plight of the ghanaian worker. Shame on you and curse be on you and your likes who joined the junta to rip Ghana off. And the incompetent Mahama came to worsen it and wants to come back? Edi*ots!!
a true statesman
'We no go sit down make you cheat us everyday'. You were part of the problem.
The enemy of this country Ghana is PNDC/NDC. We will not vote for them again
Is he now realizing that the PNDC/NDC is the bane of all our economic problems? He was part of the problem. They looted Ghana to the bones and are now enjoying with their families. How many operating industries and assets did the PNDC inherit in 1982 and how many were owned by the state and operational on their exit in 2001. What happened to the Black Star Line ships in particular? This is one of the sycophants who left the TUC to join the Rawlings loot because of his stomach.
They were beating, beating merciless but they are the ones who directed P/ndc to IMF so na who cos am? ibe these greedy bastards who joined the junta! they were beating because as he said P/ndc was a leftist organisation and who told him soldiers have ideology? when we tell you ndc are cowards this has confirmed it. All those civilians who joined the junta at that time were cowards who were threatened by tribalism, inward looking and st*upidity. How can you be beaten and join them hahahahaha JJ Rawlings was right to say if you can't beat us join us! and he said Ghanaians are cowards he referred to those who were following him but his fo00*0lish followers were cheering him thinking he was referring to the brave who were opposing him even with guns on their noses. This is the Genesis of the deterioration of our country. Sam Pee Yarlley ma yen dwen you are part of the problem !
I DOFF MY HAT FOR MR PEE YALLEY FOR SPEAKING THE TRUTH. SOME OF US ARE ABOUT 65 NOW AND WE SAW IT ALL. HE IS GIVING A CORRECT ACCOUNT OF WHAT ACTUALLY HAPPENED TO WEAKEN THE FRONT OF GHANAIAN WORKERS DEVOID OF THE USUAL POLITICS. THIS MAN IS A STATESMAN.