Workers in the regions held parades to commemorate this year’s May Day, a day set aside to acknowledge the contributions of labour to national development, and for workers to demand better working conditions.
This year’s Labour Day celebration was on the theme “Election 2024: The Role of Workers and Social Partners in Securing Peaceful Elections for National Development”.
CLEMENT ADZEI BOYE reported from Takoradi in the Western Region that 25 organised workers’ groups braved early morning showers to gather at the Ghana Secondary Technical School Park for the celebration, during which 13 workers were honoured for their meritorious services.
The Chairman of the Regional Council of Organised Labour, Charles Thompson, appealed to the government to speed up road construction projects in the region to reduce workers’ commute times and increase productivity.
The Regional Minister, Kwabena Okyere Darko-Mensah, acknowledged the contributions of workers to the region’s development and assured them that ongoing road projects would be completed by the end of the year.
Workers in the Eastern region thronged the Koforidua Jubilee Park where the Eastern Regional Minister, Seth Acheampong, conveyed the government’s appreciation to them for their commitment to work in spite of the economic challenges they faced, and urged them to resist the temptation of engaging in unethical conduct, which is detrimental to organisational growth.
AMA TEKYIWAA AMPADU AGYEMAN reported that Mr Acheampong said the government would continue to protect incomes and ensure that Ghanaian workers were cushioned against economic challenges.
The Regional Head of the TUC, Mrs Agyeman, appealed to the government to do more for workers as the economic situation in the country was having a toll on them.
DANIEL DZIRASAH reported from Sunyani that workers of organised labour drawn from the three regions, Bono, Bono East and Ahafo, converged at the jubilee park in the Bono Region.
The Bono Regional Minister, Justina Owusu Banahene, appealed to Ghanaians to play their respective roles in ensuring peace, during and after the December general elections.
Congratulating workers for their contribution to nation building, she urged them to exercise restraints as the government take steps to address their concerns.
Mr Kofi Asare Asiawuah, who represented the secretary General of TUC, called on the government to ensure that tier two pension contributions which have been in arrears were transferred to their fund managers to secure the future of workers.
ANITA NYARKO-YIRENKYI reported that the General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union Ghana, Morgan Ayawine, advised workers to stay away from any person or group of people whose acts could undermine peace and stability in this year’s election.
“As workers, especially the youth, you should not, and cannot allow yourselves to be used as conduits for fomenting trouble before, during and after the elections,” he said in his May Day message.
Thousands of workers from the Savannah, North East and Northern Regions yesterday converged at the Tamale Jubilee Park to mark the day, reported YAHAYA NUHU NADAA, TAMALE.
The Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Shani Alhassan Sayibu, commended the workers for their efforts towards the peace of the region and assured them that the government was working assiduously to improve their working conditions.
The Northern Regional Secretary of TUC, Felecia Kraja, called on workers to keep working together and continue to work as organised labour to protect the interest of the unions.
The Migrant Labour General Workers’ Union International (MLGWUI) in a statement demanded the substance of the ban on labour migration to Gulf Regions and urged for decent work practices and international employment contract bilateral relations to assist Ghanaian and African workers seeking employment abroad.
The National Coordinator for the Women’s Ministry of the Global Evangelical Church, Rev. Patricia Akpene Tegbe-Agbo, in a statement, urged Ghanaians, especially women, to pursue economic independence through productive ventures.
BY TIMES REPORTERS
