MayDay - Tamale

The Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) on Tuesday celebrated this year's May Day in Tamale together at a beautiful and impressive ceremony.

For the past two years the TUC marked the day at the Tamale Police Park, while the ICU and its affiliates observed the day at different locations.

The two Unions and other workers came together to mark this year May Day which is on the theme: " Labour and Nation Building in Ghana; fifty years and beyond".

Alhaji Mustapha Ali Idris, Northern Regional Minister who read the Presidents speech commended workers and the leadership of the two unions for coming together to celebrate the day and urged them to sustain the spirit of accommodation and cooperation to confront the challenges facing them.

Alhaji Idris said the solution to the unemployment situation was for the nation to develop its human resource potential and therefore urged the labour front, especially teachers to support the educational reforms the government was implementing.

On wages and salaries of workers, Alhaji Idris noted that workers remuneration was not the best and said it was for this reason that the Fair Wages Commission was established, adding that by August this year based on the outcome of its job equity in the pay system would have been achieved to enhance workers salaries.

Alhaji Idris said, the government had entered into partnership with China to reactivate the Juapong Textile Mill. At the moment, there were 185 workers including five Chinese management staff. At full capacity, the factory would employ 800 workers.

Mr. Ahmed Adam, the local acting, General Secretary of the TUC who read the speech of the Secretary-General, Mr. Kwasi Adu-Amankwa said as long as the government continues to "over" liberalise the economy the problem of unemployment would persist.

He said, " as long as we continue to open our doors to all kinds of goods which we can produce domestically, our young men and women would continue to be unemployed."

He called on the government to as a matter of urgency address the gross inequalities in incomes to ensure industrial peace. Workers in various departments and organisations who worked hard to raise the image of their organisations were presented with awards.

Mr. Hikah Benson, Acting Wa Municipal Chief Executive has reminded workers to not use "May Day" celebration as a forum only for agitating for better salaries and working conditions but also endeavour to increase work output.

He said increase in salaries and wages would automatically come when productivity was enhanced. He pointed out that the celebration would be more meaningful if only workers took stock of the past, and critically assessed their output as against their set targets. Mr. Benson was addressing workers of the Wa Municipality at the Naa Sidiki Bomi's Park to mark this year's May Day celebration, which was on the theme: "Labour and Nation Building in Ghana; Fifty Years and Beyond".

He called on Ghanaian workers to rededicate themselves to duty by eschewing lateness and also using official hours for private businesses and only to turn round to ask for increased salaries and better working conditions of service.

"Let us always be patient and resist the temptation of resorting to industrial action when other channels of negotiations are not exhausted well in enough", he said. Workers in the Municipality marked the Day with a clean-up exercise at the Wa Regional Hospital and also marched through some of the principal streets of Wa. The workers carried placards some of which read: "Delay in payment of workers salaries were unacceptable", "A bag of cement sells at 120,000 cedis in Wa, Why?" and "Reduction in inflation is not reflecting in workers pockets" Some workers who contributed immensely to the improvement of labour development in their workplaces were honoured with certificates and television sets. MORE REA