Cape Vars to run course on labour

Cape Coast (Central Region), 2 Mar. '99 -

Cape Coast (Central Region), 2 Mar. '99 - The University of Cape Coast is to run a course leading to the award of Diploma in Labour Studies starting from the 1999/2000 academic year. This was announced by, the Vice-Chancellor of the University, Professor Samuel Kwesi Adjepong, at the extraordinary congress of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) at the auditorium of the university today. Professor Adjepong, who was welcoming delegates to the four-day congress said syllabus for the programme has been completed, awaiting approval by the Academic Board of the university. The vice-chancellor recalled that the TUC at one of its congresses held at the university requested the UCC to consider offering a diploma programme in labour studies and said the programme would start from October, this year. Professor Adjepong hoped that at the end of the congress, a stronger document, which takes into consideration the dynamics of change, would emerge to propel organised labour into the 21st century. The secretary-general of the TUC, Mr Christian Appiah Agyei, said the congress was undertaking a review of its constitution at a time when the labour movement would have to come to grips with daunting difficulties facing the working people of the country. "This is a period of titanic challenges to the trade unions generated by a turbulent world economic order in which capital is seeking to assert its dominance over labour for the sole purpose of maximising profits". Mr Agyei told the delegates that they are in a market economy where prices are soaring according to the dynamics of the market, value added tax (VAT) has been introduced, utility tariffs are heading for astronomic levels thus elevating instead of alleviating poverty. "This is the time we are being invited to co-operate in the implementation of a salary regime, which in relation to the current cost of living situation can best be describe as anachronistic." The secretary-general said workers had over the years made sacrifices and hoped against hope that a time would come when their efforts and suffering would be acknowledged and their burden lightened through a modest improvement in salary levels. "But this has remained a mirage while we wallow in a life of misery and social exclusion. Mr Agyei stressed the need to use every opportunity to draw attention to finding early solutions to economic problems facing workers to achieve and sustain industrial peace.