The Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC) released a statement on Friday, April 19, 2024, accusing former Ghana Revenue Authority (GRA) Board Chair Prof Stephen Adei of displaying intense animosity towards Ghanaian workers.
The TUC, represented by Secretary General Dr. Yaw Baah, denounced Adei’s recent comment where he suggested Togolese workers were more productive than their Ghanaian counterparts as insulting and disrespectful.
In their stern warning to Prof Adei, the TUC expressed deep concern over what they perceive as a consistent effort to undermine Ghanaian workers and incite public disapproval towards them.
“You are on a mission to discredit Ghanaian workers at the least opportunity. You have been deliberate and consistent in attacking workers and courting public disaffection for them. The working people of Ghana will not tolerate your attacks any longer,” the TUC warned Prof Adei.
They criticised Adei for what they described as a blatant disregard for trade unions and a failure to understand the historical and contextual challenges faced by workers.
“It is not too difficult to detect that you have a morbid hatred for Ghanaian workers. You do not hide your disdain for trade unions. What you fail to recognise is that your hatred and disdain for workers and their unions have completely eclipsed your judgement on issues of industrial relations and national development.”
“For the most part, Professor, you have no idea of the context and history in respect of the issues workers and their unions are grappling with and you will not take your time to listen and to learn. You impulsively jump into the conversation betraying your ignorance and biases. In the process, the claims you make against workers and unions are only figments of your clouded and biased imaginations”, the TUC statement said.
“We find it very strange and unfortunate that a Ghanaian professor of your calibre could make such statements about the working people of Ghana who are sacrificing so much for the development of the country.”
“You should know that being a professor does not entitle you to profess opinions about everything under the sun…We wonder what you want to achieve with such negative statements about Ghanaian workers. It comes as no surprise to us, therefore that the president has been swift in kicking you out of the state institutions he appointed you to lead,” the statement added.
The TUC’s statement emphasised that Adei’s alleged biases and lack of understanding regarding industrial relations and national development have led him to make baseless claims against workers and unions.
They questioned the intentions behind Adei’s negative remarks about Ghanaian workers, highlighting that his expulsion from state institutions by the president resonated with their concerns.
The union concluded by asserting that academic credentials do not grant individuals the right to make disparaging remarks about hard working citizens contributing to Ghana’s progress.