The Director of Labour Research and Policy Institute at the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr. Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, has challenged claims made by Economist Professor Stephen Adei regarding the productivity of Ghanaian workers compared to their Togolese counterparts.
Professor Stephen Adei had suggested that Ghanaian workers are among the least productive globally, implying that Togolese workers outperform Ghanaians in terms of productivity.
In an interview on Citi TV’s Point of View, commemorating Workers’ Day on May 1, Dr. Otoo defended Ghanaian workers, asserting their hardworking nature despite the challenges they face.
He questioned whether Professor Adei would opt for medical surgery in Togo over Ghana, implying that Ghana’s workers are competent and reliable.
“Prof. Adei said Ghanaian workers are lazy, and less productive, if he happens to have a medical condition that requires medical surgery will he go to Togo or Korle Bu? Since the Togolese workers including the medical doctors are more productive than the Ghanaian ones.
“He has a morbid hatred for Ghanaian workers and unions. His claim to fame in Ghana is what he did at GIMPA. He didn’t do those things with Togolese workers. There were drivers and security people he worked with when he was there. And the least thing these people expect from him is this kind of comment.”
While acknowledging that some Ghanaian workers may exhibit challenges in their work attitudes, Dr. Otoo emphasized that Professor Adei could have conveyed his comments in a more constructive manner.
“We recognise there’s a challenge about attitudes to work, we are doing something about it. If you want to help, this is not the way a professor should go. There’s a way that professors can help us address some of the challenges. But they should find a nicer way, collaborative way of saying it.
“When you google Prof Adei, you will not find a single research document he has put there, it’s all about condemnations and castigations of Ghanaian workers. What is the basis to say that a Ghanaian worker is not productive?” Dr Otoo asked.
Dr. Otoo criticized the government for complaining about the attitudes of workers without implementing the necessary measures to support their work.
“Can any government or any employer come and tell us what they have been doing about productivity? except to perpetually complain that the Ghanaian worker is unproductive without evidence,” he asserted.
tigpost.co