Atta Mills Statement on May Day

LABOUR DAY CELEBRATIONS

On a day like this, the day for workers, I share in the concerns of workers of this country of ours.

The country is experiencing a wave of labour unrest which is unprecedented and it is not because workers are unjustifiably demanding for more than is due them.

Workers have continued to put in their best, and agitate for better conditions of service only when the need arises for them to make sure that what they receive is not only in tandem with the effort they put in, but more importantly, meet the exigencies of the times.

Indeed, workers are only demanding their due and are resorting to legitimate means of agitating to ask that they be paid fair wages.

There is no denying the fact that as a nation, we are in crisis no matter which angle it is looked at from.

The energy crisis in particular has collapsed lots of employment opportunities and in the process, put workers out of jobs. For those who are in work, the incessant power outage is making it practically impossible for them to do any meaningful work.

My heart goes out to the over 90 housemen who have been summarily dismissed by the Korlebu authorities when all they were doing was to ask the authorities and government to make good their promises.

As much as we would require of our workers to make love-of-nation stand tall amongst their priorities, it would be totally unfair to ask them to operate on empty stomachs and be unable to cater for themselves and their families.

The call for workers to sacrifice would be appropriate if those who ask workers to so sacrifice, themselves exhibit tendencies of sacrifice.

But when workers are asked to tighten their belts and bite bullets only for those who are in authority to live in opulence, it becomes practically impossible for anybody to ask those who are dirtying their hands and digging their feet in, to continue to make sacrifices.

I want to assure the struggling gallant workers of Ghana who are finding it extremely difficult to cope with the current hardship that though it may seem that they are at the end of the road they should not despair.

In spite of the hard times, I wish workers of Ghana the best on this day of theirs and ask of them to continue to soldier on in the interest of the nation because things will surely get better once a more committed government is given the mandate to govern.

Koku Anyidoho (In-charge, Communications)

For

John Evans Atta Mills (NDC, Presidential Candidate)