Fully implement National Employment Policy — ICU

The Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU)-Ghana has called on the government to ensure the strict implementation of the National Employment Policy (NEP) launched recently.

The policy was launched as part of the government’s effort to deal comprehensively with the growing unemployment problem in the country. 

The overall goal of the NEP is to create gainful and decent employment opportunities for the growing labour force to improve their living conditions and enable them to contribute to economic growth and national development.

Speaking at the Greater Accra General Council Meeting in Accra, the Deputy General Secretary in Charge of Operations at the ICU, Mr Morgan Ayawine, charged the government to ensure that the objectives of the policy were attained.

While lauding the government’s initiative to reduce the unemployment rate in the country, Mr Ayawine said “government must not allow the policy document to remain on paper and gather dust but do everything for its full execution”.

“As a country, we always enact good laws and policies but are challenged when it comes to their implementation and execution,” he contended.

The programme was used to discuss the concerns of members of the union across the country. It also deliberated on the preparations made so far for this year’s workers’ day (May Day) celebration, scheduled for May 1, 2015.

Energy crisis 

For the NEP to be effectively implemented, Mr Ayawine said there was the need for a regular supply of power for industry to thrive.

The inability of government to solve the power crisis, he said, could stall the NEP. Mr Ayawine, therefore, called for an immediate summit for all stakeholders and policy analysts to share ideas on how to solve the power crisis. 

On the issue of pension, Mr Ayawine cautioned that workers’ worry over their pension benefits could kill their enthusiasm and patriotism, if policy makers continued to trample on the rights of workers as that could compromise their future.

Unions as social partners

The Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the ICU, Mr Thomas Atiah, appealed to employers to see unions in their organisations as social partners for the development of the organisations.

“Some employers have either threatened or disallowed their employees from joining any union in their organisations. For those who fail to comply with such directives, exit is the only option,” he noted.

In spite of this, Mr Atiah charged workers to always stand up for their rights, stressing that the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and the Labour Act 2003, Act 651 solidly protected the rights of workers.