ICU inaugurates 7-storey multi-purpose building

The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) has inaugurated a seven-storey multi-purpose facility in Accra to serve as a rallying point for all of its activities.

The facility, known as the ICU House, is dedicated to the memory of the sixth Secretary General of the union, Napoleon Kpoh, and would be used for conferences, meetings and other union activities.  

It houses the Accra Regional Secretariat, departments and specialised units of the union, a three-floor private hotel facility and a Law Chamber, among others. 

Legacy

Inaugurating the facility last Wednesday, the General Secretary of the ICU, Morgan Ayawine, said the facility "is, indeed, a cherished legacy which we hold dear to our hearts and proud to be one of the great unions in Africa that articulates the aspirations of labour".

The inauguration of the building, he said, should have been done long ago, but due to circumstances beyond the control of the Union, the event could not come off as anticipated.

"Nevertheless, as the old adage goes, it is always better late than never, which is why, in that belief, we are here today to inaugurate this building, dedicated to the memory of the late Napoleon D.K. Kpoh, who initiated and completed the construction of this beautiful and imposing building christened the ‘ICU House’," he said. 

Merger

Founded through the merger of five distinct national unions on May 25, 1960, Mr Ayawine said the ICU-Ghana had risen through a chequered history and overcome a myriad of obstacles and challenges to attain the prestigious status as the single largest heterogeneous trade union organisation in the country today.  

The ICU House

He said the union had carved out a niche for itself not only in organising collective bargaining and grievance handling but also in offering trade union education to its members to sensitise them to the handling of workplace issues to ensure industrial peace and harmony.  

"You would all agree with me that every good and hard work has its crowning glory, and the inauguration of this building (christened ICU House) today epitomises what foresight, perseverance and tenacity of purpose can achieve," he said.

Envisioned and initiated by the late Kpoh, he said the building was constructed partly through the levying of ICU constituent members and the national union’s funding.