Ho, July 16, GNA - Mr Abraham T. D. Okine, General Secretary, of the Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), on Monday called on the government to keep faith with workers and expedite action on the re-introduction of the End-of-Service-Benefits (ESB).
He urged the government to remove all bottlenecks inhibiting the smooth implementation of the ESB, since the announcement by the National Tripartite Committee in September 2002, for its restoration.
Addressing the Volta Regional Delegates Conference of the Union at Ho, he noted that proposals for review of the various Collective Bargaining Agreements (CBAs) have been submitted but "it seems government is paying lip-service to the issues involved. Government through the Ministry of Finance and Economic Planning should mandate State-Own-Enterprises (SOEs) to go ahead and negotiate the new ESB," he said.
"Our members concerns are that the negotiations on the issue have stalled and are not taking things lightly, " Mr Okine added. Mr Mensah Nyarko, National Chairperson of PSWU, called on workers to resist government policies that were "anti-worker" and some prescribed by the Breton Woods Institution as detrimental to their welfare.
He asked branches of the Union to brainstorm and contribute to topical national issues instead of wasting time on trivial issues. A five-member Regional Executive Council was elected under the chairmanship of Mr James Atsu Hattoh, Mr Jerry Etse Agbo and Ms Evelyn Klokpodzi first and second Vice-Chairpersons and Mr Daniel Mensah and Mr Kenneth Koduah, first and second Trustees respectively. Mr Hattoh pledged to work with the executive members as a team to justify the confidence reposed in them.
