May Day celebrations from regions
May Day parades took place in district and regional capitals all across the country with workers expressing their discontent with the direction of the country’s economy, particularly the power crisis the country was facing.
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They acknowledged that businesses were struggling to survive because they had to spend huge sums on fuel to power their generators and also service loans at high interest rates. They thus called on the President to do everything he could to immediately end the power crisis – popularly called 'dumsor'.
From the Ashanti Region, Kwadwo Baffoe Donkor reports that Organised Labour in the region yesterday went on a procession through some principal streets in Kumasi before converging on the Jubilee Park where they were addressed by the regional leadership of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Acting Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku.
The workers carried placards to register their concerns, some of which had inscriptions such as ‘Dead goat Mahama wake up’; ‘Fix the dumsor now’, ‘Dead goat economy’, ‘A word to the wise is enough’, ‘Drop that dead goat’ and ‘One day light, four days off’. Other placards read, ‘Our students can’t study oh dumsor’, ‘your days are numbered’, ‘Mr President where is our second tier money?’ ‘Ghanaians drop this yam -2016.’
In her address, the Regional Secretary of TUC, Ms Cynthia Maame Aba Sam Ananoo, reiterated Organised Labour concerns over the impact of the energy crisis on workers, particularly the danger it posed to job security.
She said lots of workers had lost their jobs as a result of the energy crisis and feared that many more would lose their daily bread, if the crisis was not solved immediately.
The Acting Regional Minister, Mr Opoku, for his part, assured the workers of government’s commitment to fixing the energy problem once and for all.
As part of measures to improve on productivity even in the face of power challenges, he said it would be advisable for organisations to “adjust work schedules to suit times of availability of power so that the limited power supplied is used profitably, whether in the day or night”.
At Twifo-Hemang in the Central Region, Shirley Asiedu-Addo reports that workers carried placards to the parade grounds expressing dissatisfaction with the performance of the economy. Some of the placards read, "Stop empty promises", “Our pensions need safety" and "Respect our pensioners, they deserve better".
The Central Regional Secretary of the TUC, Mr Samuel Doughan, urged government to do more to resolve the energy crisis.
He noted that a lot more workers might lose their jobs if the energy crisis was not solved urgently.
The Central Regional Minister, Mr Aquinas Tawiah Quansah, advised workers to conserve energy as a means of prolonging its usage.
He commended workers for their commitment to work in spite of the economic challenges the country was facing.
According to Alhandu Abdul-Hamid in Bolgatanga, Organised Labour marched through the principal streets, accompanied with brass band music, following which they converged on the Golden Jubilee Park where they were addressed by the regional leadership of the TUC and the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr James Zuugah Tiigah.
They carried placards, some of which were inscribed, “Kill that animal dumsor for us”, “Mr Mahama 2016 is coming”, “We are tired of dumsor” and “If you cannot stop the dumsor then step down”.
Mr Tiiga said the load shedding the country was experiencing was as a result of a deficit in the energy sector which unfortunately had brought negative effects on individuals and the industrial sector.
He said government was working hard to fix this energy deficit and that steps were being taken to get additional power in order to increase the energy levels and meet growing demand.
From Tamale, Suweiba Yakubu reports that it was a colourful and joyous occasion at the Jubilee Park where workers from both government and private institutions had gathered. She said the workers arrived early in the day, and danced and cheered themselves on till the end.
In his address to the gathering, the Northern regional Minister, Alhaji Mohammed Muniru Limuna, said the country had been battling with many crisis for some time now, the worst of which had affected the energy sector with its attendant negative effects on the economy and loss of jobs and income.
He commended Organised Labour for keeping firm in the face of the current energy crisis and urged the public to use energy efficiently.
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The Regional Chairperson of the TUC, Mr Elvis Mahama, appealed to government to take another look at the Electronic Salary Pay Voucher (E-SPV) system which was meant to ensure industrial peace in the country. He said the introduction of the E-SPV system, which validates salaries and checks ghost names and absenteeism at workplaces, had rather made heads of institutions more corrupt and wicked as they maltreated perceived enemies at their workplaces.
From Takoradi, Akwasi Ampratwum-Mensah says Organised Labour in the Western Region converged on the Jubilee Park for the celebration of this year’s May Day.
Addressing the workers, the Western Regional Minister, Mr Paul Evans Aidoo, urged them to develop the habit of saving energy by switching off electrical appliances and gadgets when they were not in use. He said finding a solution to the current energy crisis was a collective responsibility devoid of partisanship.
He stressed that it was paramount that all Ghanaians brought their collective efforts and contributions to bear in finding a lasting solution to the crisis, adding that it was the responsibility of Organised Labour, as a major partner of government, to contribute towards the realisation of all that the government was doing to address the situation.
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Mary Anane reports from Ho that workers in the Volta Region marked this year’s May Day celebration with a call on government to fix the energy crisis which was taking a heavy toll on the economy.
The workers, who turned out in their numbers, converged at the Jubilee Park to celebrate the day.
Quite a number of the workers were visibly not happy with the energy situation in the country currently. Some held placards with inscriptions such as, “Mr President fix the dumsor problem”, “High utility tariffs, poor utility service”, “Dumsor is killing businesses”, “When will dumsor end”, “Protect and preserve public property”, “If you want good schools then pay your taxes”, “Reduce the tax burden” and “Let’s Protect our forests”.
The Volta Regional Minister, Ms Helen Adjoa Ntoso, assured the workers that government was doing all it could to resolve the power crisis.
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For his part, the Regional Secretary of TUC, Mr Elvis Van-Lare, said even though workers were aware of efforts the government was putting in to have the energy crisis resolved, it, nonetheless, was taking too long to be solved.
Zadok Kwame Gyesi writes that at the Wenchi Community Park where the Brong Ahafo Regional celebration of this year's May Day was marked, various groups of workers were dressed in branded polo shirts and carried placards with inscriptions such as, "Our students shouldn't pay utility bills", "GES, we need better conditions of service", "It is not true that PPM runs faster than credit meters" and "Sunyani airport is crying for help". Others read, "If you can read this, thank the teacher", "Pay your bills promptly", "Don't waste water", "Stop CLOSSAG deductions" and "We need more buses".
In his address to the workers, the Deputy Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Justice Samuel Adjei, said the prime cause of unreliable power supply in the country was the “huge supply gap in relation to the demand for the product".
He said that the government had instituted measures, including checks on illegal connections, as a means of promoting the quality of electricity as well as cutting down on losses in the distribution of power.
Emmanuel Modey writes from Jirapa that workers gathered as early as 6:00 a.m. and undertook a two-hour clean-up exercise at the St Joseph's Catholic Hospital, after which they marched through the principal streets of the town and converged on the Palace Park.
This year, 20 workers, including five females, received awards for their contribution to national development.
The workers held aloft placards with inscriptions such as, "Drink clean water”, "Report leakage and burst pipes", Pay your water bills", “Free and quality education for all children", "Water is life" and “Parents, teachers help children to be educated for a bright future”.
In his address to the gathering, the Deputy Upper West Regional Minister, Dr Musheibu Mohammed Alfa, gave an assurance that the government would continue to provide the enabling environment towards improving working conditions and would also work hard to resolve the energy crisis.
The UWR Secretary of the TUC, Mr George Mude, called on workers to work hard in order to enhance productivity.