Address By The President Of The Republic, Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo, At The 2022 May Day Celebration, On Sunday, 1st May 2022, At Independence Square, Accra I am always glad to be in the company of Organised Labour, especially to celebrate May Day, the day set aside to pay homage to those who fought the heroic battles that have made today’s ordinary things possible. I cannot begin this address without paying tribute to Organised Labour and its leadership for their invaluable contribution in helping to keep our country on its two feet at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. Your co-operation has been a mark of patriotism, and I applaud you for that. Indeed, you continue to uphold the tradition of national engagement initiated by the legendary pioneers of Ghanaian trade unionism, Pobee Biney, Vidal Quist, Anthony Woode et al, through whose work and sacrifice we have inherited the free, independent Ghana in which we now live. With the ongoing vaccination campaign, which has seen some 14.2 million Ghanaians taking the jab, and with our continued observance of the safety protocols, despite the lifting of virtually all restrictions, we are beginning the process of returning our lives and livelihoods back to a marked degree of normalcy. I know that sooner, rather than later, we will be out of the woods completely. Secretary General, on the occasion of the 2021 May Day Celebration, I expressed the resolve of Government to win the fight against COVID-19. It was also my hope and expectation that we would celebrate this year’s May Day ceremony without masks. A year on, I am excited not only because of the news of the rebound of our economy, evidenced in the 5.4% growth rate chalked in 2021, which is manifesting itself in heightened economic activities across the nation, but also because we are returning to commemorating May Day as we should. Indeed, last year’s edition took place at the Forecourt of the Hall of Trade Unions, a venue significantly smaller than the Independence Square. The 2020 edition, you will recall, confined us to the studios of the state broadcaster, Ghana Broadcasting Corporation. Without a doubt, significant progress has been made thanks to our collective efforts in observing the COVID-19 safety protocols, and in getting vaccinated. As we commemorate this day, I urge all workers and Organised Labour to celebrate this day fully, while observing, at the same time, the enhanced hygiene protocols. “Protecting Jobs and Incomes in The Era of COVID-19 and Beyond”, the theme for this year’s celebration, is apt, especially as the implementation of economic recovery measures and the lifting of COVID-19 restrictions mean that we have resumed full production and increased productivity, in our quest to put our nation back onto the path of progress and prosperity. Over the past year, in particular, Government has implemented a number of policies and programmes all in an attempt to hasten economic recovery from the ravages of COVID-19. We have introduced measures to improve fiscal consolidation, and ensure debt sustainability, which are critical to achieving macroeconomic stability in the short to medium-term. These measures, such as the passage of the E-Levy Bill, have not been introduced in isolation. They have come on the back of a revenue loss of GH¢13.1 billion, and an increased, unbudgeted expenditure of GH¢14.2 billion. There is, thus, an overall fiscal impact of some GH¢27.3 billion, representing 6.8% of GDP. In addition to this, adverse global developments have impacted severely on exchange rate and inflation, with the overall effect being the weakening of the real incomes of people in Ghana, just as is happening everywhere. That is why the Secretary-General can justifiably list the litany of woes that are adversely affecting the living standards of working people in Ghana and in the outside world – high inflation, high fuel and petroleum prices, escalating food prices, and reduced income levels. We, thus, have to make concerted efforts as Partners to hasten our recovery from COVID-19 by finding intelligent ways of bringing everyone on board to contribute their quota, no matter how small. Indeed, we have had to cut discretionary expenditures of Ministries, Departments and Agencies by thirty percent (30%), we have reduced the salaries of political appointees by thirty percent (30%) for the rest of the year, reduced their fuel coupon allocation by fifty percent (50%), and placed a moratorium on the purchase of imported vehicles, amongst others. As fate would have it, the outcome of the National Labour Conference held earlier this year in Kwahu-Nkwatia, in the Eastern Region, provided guidance, and encouraged Government to re-examine critically the prevailing situation, and proffer strategies and solutions that would help reverse the trend. We are witnessing some degree of stability in the macroeconomic data, and we are hopeful of maintaining and building on them throughout the year. “Protecting Jobs and Incomes in the Era of COVID-19 and Beyond” is, undeniably, the collective responsibility and duty of all social partners. This is because incomes earned by workers are a function of jobs created by employers, and of the creation of an enabling environment by Government to help sustain enterprise growth. Data from the International Organisation of Employers (IOE) indicates that the private sector generates nine (9) out of ten (10) jobs worldwide, thereby contributing to greater economic and social equity, integration and political stability. It is not for nothing that the United Nations’ 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development underscores the importance of the private sector in the creation of jobs, specifically Small and Medium Scale Enterprises (SMEs), which play key roles in employing the majority of the world’s workforce. We must, as a matter of urgency, intensify the measures that affect the private, informal sector, in order to enhance access to cheaper capital. Protecting jobs and incomes requires Government to provide adequate support to enable the private sector retain its labour, for private-sector-led economic growth is the most conducive way of sustaining inclusive recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. As the main source of growth and job creation, the