Effects Of Conflicts And Strikes

COMMENTARY ON THE EFFECTS OF CONFLICTS AND STRIKES 

The past weeks have seen all manner of professional groups in Ghana on strike, with others preparing to go, all in the name of demanding better working conditions. It said “The rule of life is a personal code for living a better, happier, more successful kind of life.”  It is also, the case of the tongue and teeth cohabiting yet do occasionally clash accidentally. One does not need to cut the nose to spite the face. And should we continue to live in conflict and strikes at the expense of innocent humans lives. For those in schools, the academic calendar is disorganized. Whatever the case, how long can we live in conflict and strikes? We are capable of solving our problems. At the international level, countless Ghanaians have demonstrated this in the areas of peace keeping, mediation and conflict resolution. It is important Ghanaian professionals engage in negotiations to find lasting solutions to their grievances. This is a bitter truth, because “Our pride lies in the fact that we never remain on the ground when we fall, but have the ability to get up anytime we fall.”  When people have differences they need to gather the will power to look through the lens and grow above it. It is better to jaw-jaw than to war-war. The effects of conflicts and strikes are deplorable, unproductive and destructive. The consequences should be best known to the  parties involved, the affected communities and the country in general.  We need each other and should tolerate one another. It is conclusive to say that the cat and dog forgive each other just to give peace a chance. 

It is true that Ghanaians are facing socio-economic challenges, but it does not mean people should take entrenched positions while making demands for better working conditions. The appeal to all striking professional groups including the doctors, and lectures is that their demands should not be to the detriment of overall national development goal. The various state institutions mandated to deal with the concerns of workers should be alive to their responsibilities. They should be proactive so that we reduce the incidence of industrial actions which are becoming the order of the day. 

BY: JONAS ANBAZU, UNIVERSITY FOR DEVELOPMENT STUDIES, WA CAMPUS.