The acting Deputy General Secretary (Operations) of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Mr Morgan Ayawine, has reiterated the union’s call on government to assist the textile sector to enable it to play its proper role in the socio-economic development of Ghana.
Mr Morgan Ayawine said: As a nation aspiring to achieve a middle income status by 2020, we cannot build a strong economy based on buying and selling foreign products dumped on our markets”. Instead, he said, we can surely build a strong nation if the ever increasing number of school leaders are gainfully employed in production sectors of the economy such as the textile sector.
Speaking at the inauguration of a seven-member local union executive of the Textiles Ghana Limited (TSG) on Monday, Mr Ayawine lamented that the textile industry, which used to employ more than 25,000 people in the past managed a tenth of that number now mainly because of competition from uncustomed textile products and the global recession. “The people of Ghana deserve a fair share of the cake by way of getting jobs and more importantly, jobs that are sustaining rather than losing them on grounds of redundancy which has become the order of the day.
While he congratulated the newly-elected leaders, he cautioned them not to lord it over the people but be mindful of the fact that trade union leaders are chosen to serve and achieve set objectives.” The newly elected officers who are to serve for four years has Mr. Emmanuel O. Cofson as chairman; and Ebenezer Mensah, secretary. The others are Mathias Hukporti, assistant secretary; John Akalimwai, first trustee; Joyce Otoo, second trustee and Alfred Kraku executive member. Mr Erik Van Der Staaij, Managing Director of TSG, commended government for waiving taxes on many of the company’s inputs such as grey cloth and chemicals.
He also urged workers to work hard and in harmony towards a common goal since the survival of the company depended on its efficiency and ahead of their competitors.
