Public Agenda

Rawlings must go ? workers demand

The Public Agenda reports that events on the local scene took a dramatic turn for the worse last week when protesting workers symbolically conducted the funeral of the Deputy Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Austin Game.

It was in reality President Rawlings and his government?s exit they were demanding by putting him in the same coffin with the deputy minister.

Also in the coffin says the Agenda, was Mr. Mohammed Hijagi, the Lebanese, Managing Director of Africa Automobile Limited (AAL) and its sister company Automobile International Limited (AIL), who is alleged to have pulled a gun on workers of his company who were demanding the right to unionise.

The report continues that as the placard-bearing members of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) poured out their grievances during their protest rallies, it was clear that one of their major concerns was what they perceived as the governments overriding concern about attracting investors at the expense of workers interest.

According to the report the workers accused President Rawlings of rarely missing an opportunity to caution workers against the possibility that strikes and other forms of unrest would scare off investors.

Gammey a former trade unionist is reported to have said on July 9 that his Ministry will not support any group of workers or management to aggravate the current labour unrest in the country. Although the Minister did not mention any union management in particular, observers believe it was a response to the deputy minister?s pronouncements, the workers said they had lost confidence in Gammey and would not sit down for their rights to be trampled upon.

The ICU is said to have given an ultimatum on July 8, two weeks earlier, demanding that government intervene to compel management of the AAL to respect the company?s workers? right to join a trade union.

The denial of this right had resulted in violent clashes in June and the dismissal of some of the workers.

Commenting on the threat of death by the Lebanese on GTV, ICU general Secretary Napoleon Kpoh said "the MD pulled a gun to the head of employees and a report was made to the police yet the man is still walking around a free man". The police are reported to have said the matter was beyond them.

Meanwhile the shock waves following the bungled implementation of the government?s long awaited medium term wage policy and the resultant threats by workers to lay down their tools were yet to die down.

GRi