Ghana Journalists Association transforms into a Trade Union

Accra, Dec. 3, GNA - By a majority vote, delegates at the 2010 Emergency General Meeting of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), has authorised the President of the Association to initiate steps to transform the body into a union. The decision, which was reached in Accra on Friday, is expected to empower the GJA to initiate the necessary steps to acquire a bargaining certificate.

This would enable the body to negotiate for good working conditions, welfare and remunerations with employers on behalf of its members. Mr Kofi Asamoah, Secretary General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), expressed the hope that the unionisation of the GJA would put members in a good stead to discuss terms and conditions of service with their employers, provide platform for training and retraining as well as afford members job and income security. He expressed worry over poor remuneration and working conditions for journalists and said the situation was a bane to high professional practice and ethical standards. Mr Asamoah said prospects for the GJA to unionise were high and that the TUC was ready to welcome the Association to its fold as a group that had migrated into a union. Mr Ransford Tetteh, President of the GJA, said the national executive of the group had considered suggestions of Aidan White, Secretary General of the International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) to the GJA to improve the welfare of members.

This, Mr Tetteh said facilitated the unionisation of the GJA to champion the welfare of its members. "To demonstrate how determined we are on the issue of welfare, a number of processes will be started today at this emergency general meeting," he said.

Mr Tetteh said that better remuneration and improved conditions of service could make a lot of difference in facilitating and promoting professionalism.

He said there was no basis any employer to task a journalist to work effectively and efficiently without being provided with the basic requisite tools and equipments. Mr Tetteh asked: "In this time and age, how can a journalist be worth a professional image if he or she has no access to a computer and cannot use such a facility?

"As part of the welfare package, we are in negotiations with dealers to make it possible for every member who so wish to acquire good lap-top at an affordable price and terms. We believe the lap-top is the engine room for every journalist." Mr Tetteh asked members to abide by the GJA code of ethics to reduce the infractions that undermined public trust and confidence in journalists.

In his assessment of the Association's activities for 2009, Mr Bright Blewu, General Secretary of the GJA, said he was content that the leadership of the association had demonstrated the determination to promote responsible journalism and to defend press freedom.

"We wish to refer to events during the Brong Ahafo at 50 celebrations where we stood by our colleagues in the region to have their concerns of press freedom violations addressed," he said.

Mr Blewu said the most recent examples in the determination of the association to defend press freedom included the amicable way Joy FM's Ato Kwamena Dadzie's case and that of the Ghanaian Times' newspaper publication on the residential accommodation for the Police Service in the Central Region were addressed.

He chastised some unscrupulous individual practitioners who wanted to drag the image of the profession in the mud by resorting to mischievous tactics to polarise the country, especially during the 2008 General Election.

"Radio stations that engaged in those dangerous standards may have been few but we are of the view that if we do not as a family honestly advocate corrective measures before the next election in 2012, we may be endorsing any poor standards of operation and retaliation that others may be contemplating." Mr Blewu said the GJA rolled out programmes and workshops to improve professional standards of its members, citing the Ghana Media Standards Improvement Project and Using the Media to Strengthen Business Advocacy programme.

He said "The programmes include one on Human Immuno-Virus and Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome and the Ethical Journalism Initiative launched by the IFJ."

Mrs Linda Asante-Agyei, National Treasurer of the GJA, appealed to members to pay their dues regularly and promptly to sustain the association. She announced that the GJA Welfare Fund with the account number 2090015446865 had been opened with the Fidelity Bank to care for members of the association during retirement.

The Fund, also named "GJA Distress Fund" is expected to, among other things, be used to help pay the medical expenses incurred by any member who would be assaulted or injured in the course of carrying out his or her professional duty.

It would also pay for the living expenses of any person who would be in exile to escape intimidation or persecution by a political entity or administration because of carrying out his or her professional duty. The Fund would also pay for the legal fee of any member who may be brought before a law court for legitimately and genuinely discharging his or her professional duties. Mrs Asante-Agyei said the GJA spent GHC 7,040.21 on utilities, GHC 2,032.50 on building maintenance, GHC2, 192.31 on stationeries, GHC2, 539.00 on office equipment repairs and 19,447.11 on salaries. She said the association spent more than GHC109, 318.60 on the 2009 GJA Awards.