9-member Absa local union executives sworn into office

A-nine member executive of the local union of Absa Bank Ghana Limited of the Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU)-Ghana was last Friday sworn into office in Accra.

It was chaired by Mr Daniel Osei Adane, with William Aboagye as Vice Chair.

The other members were Mr Antwi Twum Barimah, Secretary, Ms Grace Bernice Nkrumah as Assistant Secretary, Mr Kwabena Owusu Bempah, First Trustee, Mr Kwadwo Barimah,Second Trustee, Executive member, Mr Stephen Yirenkyi, Women’s representative,Stella Baaba Baah, and Youth Representative, Mr Kwabena Ohemeng.

The new executives took the oath of office to serve for a period of four years.

The General Secretary of ICU-Ghana, Mr Morgan Ayawine, in his remarks during the union’s quadrennial delegate conference, commended the executives for their new role.

“For a local union to traverse and survive a quadrennial fraught with numerous challenges and come out unscathed is no mean achievement, and such has been the character and strength of the ICU Local Union of the Bank, for which your mother Union (ICU-Ghana) is most appreciative and gives you the thumbs up,” he added.

He said to avoid past mistakes and pre-empt recurring challenges in Union- Management relationship, it was advisable for union leaders to tap into the experiences of their predecessors and the lessons learned to guide them in their activities.

Mr Morgan said the theme for the Conference: “The Bank’s sustainability, the Union’s Concern”, suggested the essence and relevance of a union at the workplace was primarily to relate to and collaborate with the Management of the organisation for increased productivity and maximisation of profit for the sustainability of the business and ensure the mutual benefit of the owners and workers of the business.

He charged the executives to be circumspect, sincere and honest in their relationship with Management so as to ensure a harmonious co-existence that would materialise in the achievement of organisational goals of the Bank and the expectations of the Union for better conditions of service and job security.

The General Secretary called on management not to side step the Collective Agreement and the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), in relating to their staff issues concerning staff conditions of Service and terms of employment and non-employment.

“In matters of discipline, grievances and disputes, management should not take unilateral actions, but conform to the dictates of the Collective Agreement and the Labour Act.” he added.

Mr Adane, on behalf of the executives, thanked the members of the union for the confidence reposed in them.

He assured members of the union’s determination to work hard to ensure better conditions of service for the workers.

BY ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI