By Isaac Ato MENSAH<\/p>\n
Accra- 29 July, 2018.<\/p>\n
It’s that time of the month when employees expect their wages and salaries.<\/p>\n
In Ghana, formal sector employees receive their wages monthly.<\/p>\n
Many informal sector workers are paid daily- and they prefer it that way, no matter how small the amount.<\/p>\n
Many in the security services and pensioners are paid mid-month.<\/p>\n
This month’s salary expectations are somewhat heightened for at least four reasons.<\/p>\n
First, we had a full moon yesterday, so in a certain sense, the month has really reached full cycle.<\/p>\n
Second, July has five weeks instead of four weeks; many traditional calendars follow a twenty-eight-day moon cycle.<\/p>\n
A third reason could be that since you haven’t paid your child’s school fees, (s)he is prevented by school authorities from writing the end of term exam.<\/p>\n
Now, that is an emotionally difficult and embarrassing one- never mind your inability to give presents on school vacation day to teachers!<\/p>\n
And fourth, the Akan name for July is Kitawonsa<\/em>; to wit, hold your hand and wait (most probably for the rains to water the crops).<\/p>\n The Akans traditionally inhabit the regions in Ghana that experience the highest rainfall so this explanation is most plausible.<\/p>\n Hence, the traditional hunger period in Ghana reaches a zenith in July, during the rainy season, just before crops are harvested.<\/p>\n Self-employed persons in Ghana can identify easily with the cashflow challenges at this time of the year. About sixty per cent of employed persons are engaged in informal sector establishments with formal sector establishments accounting for the remaining 40 per cent, according to the Integrated Business Establishment Survey published September 2015 by Ghana Statistical Service.<\/p>\n Any surprise about the announcement this week by the employment and labour relations minister of the 10 percent increase in Ghana’s minimum wage effective January 2019?<\/p>\n According to BBC pidgin published 27 July, 2018: ‘Secretary General of Trades Union Congress (TUC), Dr Yaw Baah, point out say dem agree to di 10 per cent wage increase sake of di current state of di economy, but he add say next year dem go try negotiate for decent housing give workers.’<\/p>\n You can’t spin your way out of this; the numbers will betray you.<\/p>\n Often, employers are not to blame; it’s a cashflow problem! Not managing it well will make it a public relations problem which could then become a public relations crisis.<\/p>\n On 25 March 2018, citifmonline.com quoted a signed memo by the University of Ghana’s Mercy Haizel Ashia, Human Resource manager, “It is not possible to borrow for a third month to pay salaries”.<\/p>\n On 28 June 2016, the Economist Intelligence Unit reported that a growing number of workers in Oman were ‘experiencing serious delays to salary payments. It added, ‘Withholding workers’ salaries for more than a week beyond the agreed due date is illegal under Oman’s Labour Law’.<\/p>\n However, many salaries had been delayed because construction companies had suffered delayed payments from their main client, the government of Oman, due to a decline in oil revenues.<\/p>\n In Oman, the law guarantees payment but the means is not there! Legal opinion is divided over whether economic rights are enforceable.<\/p>\n Once managers know there will be delays in salary payments, it is but good public relations to inform workers and their proxies ahead of time.<\/p>\n It is not good public relations to withhold information on such anticipated events; it festers rumours.<\/p>\n And as the rumours spread in an omnidirectional way, it’s even worse to offer word of mouth explanations, one-on-one, to dispel the rumours.<\/p>\n You’re reinforcing the potency and credibility of the rumour mill within your organization! Be ready for the public relations consequences.<\/p>\n In multinational and multilingual organizations, a written notice, such as a memo, is a safe bet. This could be done at the branch or department level for large organizations.<\/p>\n Whilst the various modalities of communicating that info have their shortcomings, the key lesson here is to inform employees early enough and ahead of time.<\/p>\n This is easy to do.<\/p>\n By the third week of the month, the accounts office knows the cashflow situation, public relations practitioners should also be interested and adequately informed.<\/p>\n In medicine, doctors recommend that for all diseases for which treatment is available, reporting early saves you and makes life easier for everyone.<\/p>\n So why delay; a stitch in time saves nine.<\/p>\n
\nTradition continues.<\/p>\n
\nWhere there are literacy challenges, an organised staff meeting ahead of time is also a safe bet.<\/p>\n