Upper East Minister urges workers to refrain from strikes

Bolgatanga, May 02, GNA - Mr Boniface Gambila, the Upper East Regional Minister, has urged workers' to go to the negotiation table with the government to redress their grievances instead of embarking on strikes.

Addressing a May Day parade, he said strikes and demonstrations often retard development.

Mr Gambila cautioned senior management from taking bribes from their subordinates and others before rendering services to them and that it was wrong for government officials to resort to bribery while performing duties.

He urged workers to prioritise their spending, stressing that the government had created an enabling environment to alleviate workers' hardships, and cited the introduction of the Capitation Grant, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and the Mass Metro Transport examples that benefited workers directly.

The workers had earlier marched through the streets of Bolgatanga and held placards some of which read "NPP government pay workers new salary and arrears now", "Upper East Region cannot continue to be marginalized", and "Government revamp ICOUR and Zuarungu Meat Factory in the Upper East Region".

The Acting Upper East Regional Secretary of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Mr Richard Asueme, who read a speech on behalf of the General-Secretary of the TUC, Mr Adu Amankwa, called on the government to hasten the implementation of the Pension Commission Report.