Dr Kwabena Nyarko Otoo, Director of Labour, Research, and Policy Institute of the Trades Union Congress, has rejected economist Professor Stephen Adei’s allegations that Ghanaian workers are less productive than their Togolese counterparts.
Prof Adei claimed that Ghanaian workers are among the least productive in the world, with Togolese workers outperforming Ghanaians in terms of production.
Dr. Otoo defended Ghanaian workers in an interview with Bernard Avle on Citi TV’s Point of View on Wednesday, May 1, in honor of Workers’ Day, claiming that they are hardworking despite the obstacles they face.Dr. Otoo questioned whether Prof Adei would choose Togo over Ghana if he required medical surgery.
“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.”
He accepted that there are some issues with some Ghanaian workers’ attitudes about work, but argued that Prof Adei should have communicated his remarks more positively.
“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.
He criticized the government for complaining about the attitudes of workers without implementing the appropriate 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.
