Organised labour marks May Day

Koforidua, May 1, GNA - Contingents of organized labour unions in the Eastern Region held a church service, a march past and presentation of awards to mark May Day at the Jackson's Park at Koforidua on Sunday. Rev. Yaw Adu, Head of the House of Prayer Church led the workers to pray for the nation, workers and government.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Mr Yaw Barimah, who took the salute with the Eastern Regional Secretary of the Trades Union Congress (TUC), Ms Francisca Borkor Bortey, read an address on behalf of President J.A. Kufuor.


President Kufuor who noted that the enactment of the new Labour Law in 2003, had significantly changed the labour landscape, however, said that it was aimed at promoting healthy competition.

He explained that the Law was framed within the spirit of the Constitution to promote democracy and freedom of association on the labour front and also enable the various unions to perform their core function of protecting the interest of their members more effectively. In his address read by Ms Bortey, the Secretary General of the TUC, Mr Kwasi Adu-Amankwah reviewed economic policies of government especially, on low wages and taxation and the dying textile industry and called on the government among other issues, to re-instate the duties imposed under Act 641 in support of both domestic rice and poultry producers.


Awards were presented to 15 outstanding workers from the various unions, after the march past with placards, some of which read: "More wahala if 2.2 billion cedis to Tarzan" and "Improve our wages/salaries." 01 May 2005