Workers demo shakes Tema

Members of the Tema Regional Office of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) hit the streets to protest against the mismanagement of the country’s economy by government which has led to the collapse of industries in Tema.

According to them, the demonstration was to draw the attention of government to the numerous crisis facing businesses in Tema. The workers were clad in red during the demonstration dubbed: ‘Yere Bre.’ They also wielded placards to express their displeasure during the event, which was themed, “the State of the Economy; A Threat to our Jobs.”

About 300 police personnel drawn from most police stations in Tema were there to provide security during the demonstration, which lasted for about three hours. The members of ICU started the protest from the Tema Community Centre, went through Mankoadze, Harbour Roundabout, among others, and ended at the terrace near Whitehouse.

Solomon Kotei, General Sectary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union, who presented a petition to Metropolitan Chief Executive (MCE) of Tema, Isaac Ashai Odamtten to be forwarded to President John Dramani Mahama, noted that the country’s economy had been mismanaged.

“The growth and development of any nation’s economy is based on its industries. For a sustainable economic growth, therefore, government must provide the enabling environment like infrastructure, etc to accelerate growth.

“However, for some time now, the economy has been left in shambles and the economic conditions keep worsening by the day with no end in sight. Some of the causative factors in the unprecedented economic downturn in the history of Ghana can be attributed to bad and unworkable monetary and fiscal policies of the government.”

According to him, the depreciation of the cedi, among others, has increased the cost of operations and imposed hardship on workers in general. “Ironically, Government Ministries, Departments and Agencies are themselves deeply steeped in the dollarization of the economy.”

He said unbridled trade liberalization had culminated in excessive importation to the detriment of local industries. The General Secretary bemoaned the continuous rise in the cost of living and inflation which had dwindled the purchasing power of workers.

He added, “We boasted of a single digit inflation figure in the recent past, so what has happened so soon for the nation to be experiencing such steep rise in inflation which is fast eroding workers income?

Suggesting measures to mitigate the suffering of Ghanaians in the country, Mr. Kotei explained that “if you fail to plan, you plan to fail.” He said the current administration was running the country’s economy haphazardly without any goals or effective plans.

Mr Kotei therefore called on government to drastically reduce expenditure and accordingly pay contractors to boost infrastructure development.