Accra, May 2, GNA – The Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU) – Ghana has called on all stakeholders in the labour space to adopt policies to ameliorate the prevailing high cost of living.
The Union said the initiative, when implemented, would bring rapid economic relief to the working class and Ghanaians in general.
Mr Morgan Ayawine, the General Secretary, ICU-Ghana, said this in his May Day message to workers and copied to the Ghana News Agency in Accra.
He said ever-increasing utility bills, high rent, unaffordable food prices, increased transport costs, and unbearable medical bills, among others, had made life extremely difficult for most salaried workers, calling for urgent attention.
He urged workers to work harder to sustain the institutions and, more importantly, build a strong economy to accelerate the country’s development.
“I deem it pertinent to mention the renaming of the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations as the Ministry of Labour, Jobs and Employment,” he said.
That, he stressed, was reassuring and a clear reflection of trade unions’ view for the government to prioritise job creation in its economic policies and accelerate sustainable job creation to meet the urgent needs of the teeming unemployed youth in the country.
He said employers were obligated to “play the game by the rules” and ensure that workers were treated fairly in accordance with the dictates of the Collective Agreement and the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
Mr Ayawine said industrial democracy, which was the epitome of social partnership and worker-management relationships, was critical to ensuring peace, industrial harmony, increased productivity and profitability for mutual benefit.
The May Day occasion, he said, was a perpetual reminder of the sacrifice of our forebears, who spilled their blood to enjoy industrial democracy.
“We should not take this dispensation for granted but uphold it and continue to accentuate the rights of workers in this regard in the mutual relationship with employers and other stakeholders,” he said.
He said it was important for workers to leverage opportunities and ensure the full realisation of the purpose of trade union existence and capacity building.
Mr Ayawine commended the gallant workers of Ghana for their unflinching resilience over the past years in the face of daunting economic difficulties.
GNA
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