MUSIGA to introduce minimum wage for members
The Musicians Union of Ghana (MUSIGA) is planning to implement a minimum wage for its members.
This decision was made at the MUSIGA National Capacity Building Workshop for the Union’s national executive council members, which was held in Accra from 5 to 8 September.
Participants in the workshop were guided through a variety of topics, including collective bargaining agreements, MUSIGA gender policy, improving financial management in MUSIGA and contractual agreements.
Thomas Dayan, the deputy general secretary of the International Federation of Musicians (FIM) , led discussions on the collective bargaining agreement (C B A), which is a tool used by musicians unions to ensure a minimum wage for their members.
He noted that in West Africa, Senegal has set the pace with a minimum wage in place for members of the Senegal Association des Métiers de la Musique (AMS).
Dayan stated that MUSIGA, as a member of T U C’s Union of Informal Workers Associations (UNIWA), has the authority to make such a decision. To this end, MUSIGA will engage with employers of musicians, event organisers and venue owners to discuss the modalities for such an arrangement.
The head of international relations of the Swedish Musicians Federation (SMF), Jonas Franzen, on his part, addressed issues of communication, and financial management and shared the experience of the SMF.
The president of MUSIGA, Bessa Simons noted, “The workshop is a welcome activity which has provided our members with the necessary knowledge and skills to provide leadership for the Union in their regions and I believe MUSIGA will be better off for this.”
Also on his part, Alhaji Sidiku Buari, former MUSIGA president and a former vice-president of FIM who chaired the workshop tasked the participants to return to their regions and impart the knowledge they had acquired to their members in the region. He also thanked FIM for their support for MUSIGA since the year 2000.
Former MUSIGA president, Bice Osei Kuffour aka Obour called on the participants to ensure that they use the knowledge they acquire at the workshop in developing the Union in the regions.
The new chief director of the Ministry of Tourism, Arts and Culture, Robert Patrick Ankobiah assured the union of the Ministry’s support in all its endeavours.