PSWU opposes privatisation of GCB

Koforidua, July 15, GNA - The Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) has added its voice to the opposition against the government's intention to divest its majority shares in the Ghana Commercial Bank (GCB) since it would not be in the "interest of public servants in particular and the nation as a whole." It pledged to keep speaking against the idea "until the government listens and reverses the decision".

The General Secretary of the Union, Mr A.T.D. Okine, who declared this at the Eastern Regional Delegates' Conference of the Union at Koforidua on Tuesday, pointed out that since most workers in the rural areas depended on the GCB for their salaries the divestiture could be detrimental to the interest of the workers under a foreign strategic buyer.

He said the Union held the view that the government could float its share for Ghanaians to buy as they did for the 28 per cent shares floated in 1996, instead of allowing foreigners to capture the majority shares in "such a strategic national asset." Mr Okine called members attention to the provisions of the Labour Bill now before Parliament and said the Union looked forward to the law when passed, saying the law would overhaul the industrial relations scene and bring more competition among the various workers' organisations.

He, therefore, charged the Union's Leadership at all levels to adopt new attitudes to meet the challenges the law would pose in the organisation of unions and recruitment of new members.

He said since existing members and potential ones would have choices to make in the union they would wish to join, they would have to make the Union more attractive and relevant through new value systems and radical transformation in service delivery and expansion.

Mr Okine called on the Leadership of the union to be accountable in their financial affairs to retain the confidence and support of the membership in the implementation of Union programmes.

He stressed the need for all branches to organise regular educational programmes on topical national issues to empower members, saying the national secretariat spent 100 million cedis to equip women members in income-generating skills last year.

The National Chairman of the union, Mr Mensah Nyarko, said the Union's pragmatic policies to meet the needs of members had resulted in the institution of benefits such as soft loans, distress relief for victims of theft, fire, and death and retirement for members. It had also invested in the hospitality industry with a guest house in Accra and a 150-bed hotel in Kumasi, he said, among other income-generation ventures while members were sponsored to improve their educational standards both at the Labour College and the study of labour relations at the University of Cape Coast.

Mr Nyarko later swore-in a new five-member Regional Executive Council of the Union elected at the conference with Mr Sampson Fei, as chairman, with Miss Alice Ansah and Mr George Amuzu as Vice Chairpersons while Mr Solomon Enkaakyi and Mr John Tetteh were made Trustees.