President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo has blasted Ghanaians for our poor work ethic which he believes contributes to our lack of development.
Speaking during the May Day celebrations in Accra, the President pointed out numerous problems with the Ghanaian worker’s attitude to work and why those need to be changed.
He was addressing the Trade Union Congress, one of the largest labour unions in the country.
“I have said it at another forum, but I think it bears repeating: we arrive at work late and then spend the first hour in prayer; we are clock watchers and leave in the middle of critical work, because it is the official closing time. Everything comes to a stop when it rains and we seem to expect the rest of the world also to stop,” the President said.
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He continued, “We have no respect for the hours set aside for work… we pray, we eat, we visit during working hours. We spend hours chatting on the telephone when customers are waiting to be served, thereby increasing our labour costs. We take a week off for every funeral. And then we wonder why we are not competitive.”
The President added: “There is the petty stealing of paper, envelopes, tea, milk and other equipment. There is the reckless use of office vehicles. Employees show no inclination to protecting the things that are in the offices and factories and extreme reluctance to stand up for what we know to be right in our workplaces in general,”
According to the President, standards have fallen and we have to return to the days of old if things are to work out for as us a nation.