Nigerian 2023 Elections affirm the call for Labour Party in Ghana

The performance of Mr Peter Obi, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party in the Nigerian Elections affirms the call of Ghana Federation of Labour (GFL) for the formation of a Labour Party in the country.

Mr Abraham Koomson, GFL General Secretary said the surprise of all the Nigerian Labour Party’s Candidate has smashed the iron gate of the “so-called traditional political party establishment and set the stage for a new third force”.

He reiterated the need for Organized Labour for a Labour Party to contest Election 2024 to help champion the peculiar issues of workers at the executive level, “Organized Labour must consider working to capture power to govern the state.”

Mr Koomson made the call at the Ghana News Agency Tema Industrial News Hub Boardroom Dialogue platform on the emerging third force and strength of the Organized Labour in Ghana to form a political third force to challenge the New Patriotic Party (NPP) and the National Democratic Congress (NDC).

He said the only way to secure the welfare of the workers in Ghana was to have workers in governance positions.

Mr Koomson stated that “Britain, Holland, and others have workers’ parties that is how workers can have hope in their leadership and secure the future, politicians over the years have demonstrated that they secure political power for their interest, the paradigm must change.”

The GFL General Secretary observed that with the three seats won by the workers, it helped in decision-making as they vote in support of policies that would favour employees when the two political parties take entrenched positions in parliament.

“If there are policies that are bad, and we have two political parties fighting among themselves, the policies that will favour workers is the one the representatives of workers would vote for,” he added.

He said Ghana under the fourth republic has experienced governance ‘seesaw up and down, between the current ruling NPP and the main opposition NDC to their political advantage and disadvantage.

Mr. Koomson explained that the two parties had not formulated any policy to properly address the issues of labour and workers in general.

He recalled that the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) in the past sponsored some workers to contest for Parliamentary seats and won three, these Labour MPs stood and fought for workers’ interest in parliament adding that unfortunately that practice was not sustained over the years.

He noted that the two political giants had taken the rest of the citizens for granted because there were no alternatives as the smaller parties were virtually non-existent.

Mr Koomson said Election 2024 offers Ghanaians the opportunity to change the political dynamics, “we cannot seat down and watch any longer it is now the responsibility of Organized Labour, Civil Society Organisations, Religious Bodies, Professional Groups, Traditional Authorities Gender Based Groups, and other interest groups to stand-up and fight for mother Ghana at the next general election”.