Workers celebrate May Day in regions

Workers commemorated this year’s edition of May Day with parades in all the regional capitals. Amid brass band music, they carried placards with inscriptions which expressed their concerns on national and development issues.

Kumasi

From Kumasi, Donald Ato Dapatem reports that  the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Simon Osei-Mensah, surprised many of the workers when he read out placards they carried.

He assured them that their concerns would be sent swiftly to the appropriate quarters, including the presidency.

Some of the placards of the workers of the Metro Mass Transit read, "Sack corrupt managers," among many other concerns, that stated that President Nana Addo-Dankwa Akufo-Addo should not take the concerns of organised labour lightly.

 They emphasised that their concerns, including those about their welfare, should be looked into and addressed.

Mr Osei-Mensah said the government's commitment to ensure better conditions of service and welfare of the Ghanaian worker would not be compromised.

He added that the recent tax cuts and the removal of nuisance taxes were proof of the government's commitment.

He urged the workers to revive the “can do spirit” that is known about the Ghanaian and work assiduously to help create the needed pool of wealth for all.

Mr Osei-Mensah also urged Ghanaian workers to eschew acts of corruption and resort to good working ethics and punctuality to save the resources of the country from going waste.

Earlier in the morning, even before they set off,  Ghana Oil Company Limited (GOIL)  provided free medical screening for the members of organised labour who were to take part in the march.

As early as 6 a.m.,  some workers had already gathered for the screening and were going through counselling for all sorts of ailments.

The workers were screened for Hepatitis B, cholesterol levels, sugar levels and hypertension.

According to officials of GOIL, their target was to reach at least 500 workers.

The results of the tests, GOIL said, would be available by the time the workers got to the Jubilee Park for further counselling, treatment or referral.

Cape Coast

Timothy Gobah reports from Cape Coast that workers defied the morning rain to march through some streets of Cape Coast before converging on the stadium, where they were addressed by the Regional Minister, Mr Kwamena  Duncan.

They held placards which read: "Allowances in March, not in September," "Abolish all teacher unfriendly policies," and "Increment can wait, but arrears now!"

Mr Duncan urged organised labour to support the government’s efforts to fight illegal mining in the county.

He reaffirmed the government's commitment to respond positively to issues of labour, saying "the government will work with your leadership to ensure the well-being of all."

The Central Regional Secretary General of the TUC, Mr Samuel Doughan, said joblessness among the youth remained the greatest challenge facing Ghana, in spite of the country’s enormous wealth.

"Our compatriots with disabilities have to beg on the streets of the cities to survive," he said.

Bolgatanga

The Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Rockson Bukari, called on residents of the region, particularly the youth, to exercise restraint in their agitations regarding who they wanted as their district chief executives in their respective districts, Vincent Amenuveve reports from Bolgatanga.

He entreated them to avoid lawlessness and rather use the appropriate channels to make their grievances known.

Addressing hundreds of workers at the Jubilee Park in Bolgatanga, Mr Bukari  impressed upon workers to support the government's efforts to curb the smuggling of fertilisers to neighbouring  countries, galamsey activities and other social activities that impacted negatively on the fortunes of the region.

He appealed to chiefs to readily make land available to enable the government to embark on development projects.

The Regional Secretary of the TUC, Mr Augustine Adongo, read a speech on behalf of the Secretary General of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah.

Early on, hundreds of workers marched through the streets of Bolgatanga carrying placards, some of which read, "Health workers salary arrears not paid," "NHIS is dead,"  "We need our salaries," Let us preserve our water bodies," and “Stop the three-month pay policy."

Some deserving workers in the region were presented with laptops, refrigerators and television sets.

Keta

From Keta,  Mary Anane reports that heavy rainfall marred this year’s Volta Regional May Day parade in Keta.

The ceremony had started well, with some workers drawn from both the public and private sectors first embarking on a street march from the Keta Municipal Assembly premises and converging on the Keta Senior High school park, where the ceremony was held.

Although the ceremony was scheduled to start at 9 a.m., it delayed for two hours due to the late arrival of some of the labour groups from other parts of the region and the brass band group engaged for the parade.

The programme came to an abrupt end because of the rains, so the expected speeches by dignitaries could not be delivered.

Workers at the park were seen running for shelter as the rainstorm ripped off some of the canopies under which they were sitting.

The Volta Regional Minister, Dr Archibald Letsa, was to deliver the President's May Day address, while Mr Elvis Van Lare was to read that of the Secretary General of the TUC.

In an earlier interview, Mr Van Lare appealed to the government to adequately resource the various labour institutions to enable them to deal with the challenges of the sector.

Twenty-three persons were awarded, with, Mr Van Lare picking the Overall Best Worker award.

Tamale

Samuel Duodu writes from Tamale that hundreds of unionised workers from both the public and private sectors across the Northern Region converged on the Jubilee Park for the parade.

Some of the placards displayed by the workers at the parade read: “Where is our 80 months Tier 2 contribution?", " Mr President, we need more time for SSNIT biometric registration,"  and "Mr President, our take home cannot take us home".

Some of the workers who spoke to the Daily Graphic in an interview called for an increment in salaries and decent working conditions of service to motivate workers to work hard.

According to them, delays in the payment of salaries and the lack of incentives have been the cause of low productivity in the public sector.

The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Salifu Sa-eed, called on workers to eschew laziness and all forms of corruption.

He also called on employers and employees to adhere to the labour laws of the country to ensure industrial peace and harmony.

Mr Sa-eed reiterated the government’s commitment to improve the lives of workers and citizens of the country.

The Northern Regional TUC Secretary General, who read the speech of the Secretary General of the TUC, Dr Yaw Baah, expressed the hope that the government would quickly start engaging unions on issues affecting the working people of Ghana and their families.

"We believe that we can achieve a lot together through social dialogue," he said.

Koforidua

Several workers gathered at the Koforidua Jackson park in the Eastern Region after a float  through some principal streets to celebrate this year’s workers day, Mary Gyekyewaa Gyekye reports from Koforidua.

While they marched, the workers displayed various placards, some of which read: “One district, one factory needs ECG,” "Little drops of taxes makes a mighty nation,"  and "VRA: Energy for life!"

The Eastern Regional Minister, Dr Eric Kwakye Daffuor, acknowledged in his speech that poor working conditions affected productivity and assured workers that the government was ready to improve the working environment.

He, therefore, encouraged all workers to contribute their quota to the development of the county.

"The government will always play its part in improving the conditions of workers, but be reminded that you also have a responsibility to work effectively and efficiently so we can move Ghana forward," he said.

Madam Joyce  Bohan of the Nurses Workers Union won the Overall Best Worker award.

Sunyani

From Sunyani, Emmanuel Adu-Gyamerah & Biiya Mukusah Ali report that hundreds of workers from different parts of the region converged on the forecourt of the Sunyani Post Office as early as 6.30 a.m. before walking through some of the principal streets of Sunyani.

They held placards some of which read, “Too many taxes,” “Stop galamsey operations,” “Say no to illegal mining,” “Corruption is killing the economy,” “Wake up government,” “Mr President, please release funds for contractors for an effective road network system,” and  “Teachers must be empowered to deliver.”

As they marched through the streets, they sang patriotic songs amid brass band music.

The workers, who were dressed in their respective corporate-branded T-shirts, later assembled at the Jubilee Park and marched past the dais, with the Regional Minister, Mr Kwaku Asomah-Cheremeh, taking the salute.

In his address, the regional minister expressed government’s appreciation for workers dedication to duty and hard work in the region.

He encouraged organised labour to continue to work harder to facilitate the transformation of the economy.

“It is always appropriate for workers to channel all their grievances to the legally mandated institutions responsible for their welfare,” he stated.

Mr Asomah-Cheremeh entreated Ghanaians to put away their differences and pool together their resources to meet the challenges of the country.

 

Citations were presented to some companies and individuals for their hard work which had contributed to the development of the region and the nation as a whole. 

Workers in the Northern Region joined their colleagues across the country to observe the day at the Tamale Jubilee Park.