Address Tamale water problem -NRCL

Tamale, May 01, GNA - The Northern Regional Council of Labour {NRCL) on Friday appealed to the government to take urgent steps to address the perennial water crisis in Tamale once and for all.

The NRCL said if the situation was allowed to persist, it could lead to low productivity both in the public and private sectors of the economy, considering the number of man-hours used in searching for water by workers in the metropolis.

Making the appeal at this year's May Day parade in Tamale, Mr. Bennet Sa-Ambo, the NRCL Chairperson, expressed fears that workers in the metropolis would be infested with the guinea worm and other water borne diseases since most of them were drinking contaminated water. He reminded organised labour to be wary of the HIV/AIDS, which had become a drain in the workforce population of the country.

The out-going Northern Regional Minister, Alhaji Abubakar Saddique Boniface, said the government has secured a 45 million Euro loan for the rehabilitation of the Tamale water works that would start soon. He said another 45 million Euros had also been contracted for the rehabilitation of the Tamale Teaching Hospital to improve quality health care delivery in the region.

Alhaji Boniface appealed to the youth to support the peace process in Dagbon to enable the government to redirect resources into social and infrastructure development in the region He expressed regret at the low patronage of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) by people in the region, saying: "Sickness has no social or political boundaries".

Madam Nadia Ibrahimah, Northern Regional Secretary of the TUC, who read the Secretary-General Mr. Adu Amankwah speech, urged the government to always take the plight of workers into consideration when embarking on any economic policy.

She said workers had always suffered from some economic policies adopted by the government because they had not been part of the decision making process.

"These policies do not only make the government unpopular with the workers but also undermine productivity". The parade was characterized by traditional dance performed by the Centre for National Culture troupe and brass band music provided by the Ghana Army.

The workers carried placards some of which read: "More increase in fuel, more salary", "Labour underpaid, labour undermined", and "We want more funds for better roads".

Some workers who distinguished themselves in organised labour activities were honoured.