Employment Minister to appear before parliament over Covid-19 job losses 

Employment Minister will in the coming days appear before parliament to update the House on the numbers jobs lost due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

The Member of Parliament for Kumbungu, Ras Mubarak stressed the need for the Minister of Employment and Labour Relations to appear before the House.

“May I draw the attention of the House to the urgent need for the Minister for Employment to be in the House to appraise the House of employment figures and the impact of COVID-19 on jobs up and down the country. It is important that the Minister will give us this information.”

Some employers have hinted that they might be forced to lay off workers if the Covid-19 does no end anytime soon.

The Covid-19 pandemic has forced many companies to allow staff to stay at home. This has greatly affected the finances of many businesses.

READ ALSO : Employers hint of possible layoffs over Covid-19

As part of ways to mitigate the impact of the Covid-19 government has also promised some stimulus packages for businesses through the Coronavirus Alleviation Programme yet to be approved by parliament.

Chief Executive of the Ghana Employers Association Alex Frimpong in a radio interview said they are engaging workers unions to find ways of dealing with the situation.

According to him, everybody will understand that issues of layoffs are not matters that are on the table for any business but the circumstances may force job cuts.

" In times like this we are likely to engage the unions and you will expect a lot of challenges on the way but I'm sure they also realised that these are matters that were not within the contemplation of any business. Under these circumstances I'm sure and in that context, reasonableness will prevail and we should be able to strike a balance. The last thing any business will want to do is to lay off workers so let's see how it goes if there is income that releases the businesses as we expect I'm sure that will be the last resort..."

The Executive Secretary for the Association of Savings and Loans Companies, Tweneboah Kodua Boakye said they will still be accruing interest on deposits but the Covid-19 is not allowing people to pay their loans.