Workers mark May Day in Kumasi.

Kumasi, May.1, GNA-Members of the Ashanti Regional branch of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) on Saturday boycotted workers rally organised by the TUC at the Komfo Anokye Teaching hospital (KATH).

The ICU members, however participated in one hour clean up exercise organised by the TUC at the hospital.

They later converged at the GPRTU regional offices where the message of the ICU general secretary, Mr Napoleon Kpoh, was read to them.

Explaining the rational behind the boycott of the rally, the Ashanti regional senior Industrial Relations Officer of the ICU, Mr Osei Asibey Antwi, said the ICU would not want to participate in acts that seek to breach the constitution of the TUC.

He said the ICU had raised a number of issues concerning the admission of the Union of Industry, Commerce and Finance Workers (UNICOF) into the TUC, but the leadership of the TUC had refused to address their concerns.

Mr Antwi said the admission of UNICOF into the TUC contravened Article 10 section 7 of the TUC constitution which states that "no eligible worker's organisation shall be denied affiliation to the TUC provided such affiliation shall not dismember any affiliated national union".

He said there were no two sets of laws in the TUC constitution, hence the boycott of the rally.

Mr Antwi, said members of the ICU decided to take part in the clean-up exercise as a social responsibility to ensure that the hospital was clean for all people who visited there.

In his address read to the members, Mr Napoleon Kpoh, ICU secretary general regretted that some people had taken advantage of the introduction of the new labour law to encourage divisions among organised workers.

He said the situation if not effectively addressed could have serious consequences on the nation's quest to attract investors. Mr Kpoh said the ICU would constantly adopt "patronise made in Ghana goods", to draw the attention of members to buy made in Ghana goods as their contribution to grow local industries. 1 May 04