Regions mark May Day

Workers in Ghana Sunday joined their counterparts worldwide to mark the 2016 May Day.

In Ghana, the day was marked on the theme: “Election 2016: The Role of Workers in Securing Peaceful Elections for National Development.”

The annual celebration is used to acknowledge the contribution of labour to the socio-economic development of their  respective countries and the international community as a whole.

The annual celebration, over the years, has been a platform for workers around the world to demand better conditions of service and the fervent implementation of their labour rights.

Greater Accra Region 

From the Greater Accra Region, Benjamin Xornam Glover reports that the Greater Accra Regional May Day rally was nearly marred because of the size of the Tema Stadium where it was held.

More than 3,000 workers drawn from various organisations in Accra and Tema ‘besieged’ the pitch and inner perimeter of the stadium.

In the course of the programme, more workers arrived, a situation which created congestion.

Some groups of workers that found the overcrowding at the parade grounds unacceptable expressed their frustration by surging towards the main dais where the dignitaries and other invited guests were seated.

 In the absence of barricades, the crowd swelled and succeeded in disrupting proceedings. This situation forced the Greater Accra Regional Secretary of the Ghana Trades Union Congress (GTUC), Naa Ayerley Ardeyfio Sekyereh, to cut her speech short.

It took a joint police and navy reinforcement to restore calm and order as the initial 20-member police team could not contain the situation.

In the midst of the confusion on the rally grounds was a subtle battle between the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) and the Cocoa Industry Workers Union (CIWU), which recently broke away from the ICU. 

Some workers who are members of CIWU came to the stadium with the intention of taking part in the parade but the situation angered the ICU members who believed CIWU was not a recognised union and, therefore, could not participate in the parade.

In the ensuing melee, the ICU members vehemently stepped forward and stood in front of CIWU members.

The Greater Accra Regional Minister, Mr Joseph Nii Laryea Afotey Agbo, addressed the parade and commended Ghanaian workers for their patriotism and dedication to duty over the years and urged them to exert much effort towards achieving violent-free elections on November 7, 2016.

Volta Region 

From Ho, Tim Dzamboe reports that the May Day celebration in Ho was marked with a charismatic church service, an awards ceremony for 27 distinguished workers and a parade by 17 trade unions and associations.

Although some of the workers claimed they had not received their salaries, that did not prevent them from joining the worship at the church service conducted by the Action Chapel International, led by Reverend Clement Ako.

In his sermon, he called for a relieved mind and renewed attitude towards nation building.

The Volta Regional Minister, Ms Helen Adjoa Ntoso, commended labour for its cooperation with the government and promised that all support would be rendered towards the realisation of the full potential of workers.

Brong Ahafo

From Sunyani, Kwame Asiedu Marfo reports that the Brong Ahafo Regional Minister, Mr Eric Opoku, said workers in the country had a role to play towards free and peaceful elections.

He said majority of the electorate in the country were workers and that it behoved them to let peace prevail in the 2016 presidential and parliamentary elections.

Northern Region

Zadok Kwame Gyesi reports from Damango in the Northern Region that at the Damango Community Park in the West Gonja District, workers in the Northern Region joined their colleagues across the country to mark this year's May Day. 

Dressed mostly in the branded polo shirts of their unions, many workers displayed placards bearing different inscriptions during the procession.

Some of the placards read: "Our take home pay can't take us home", "Scrap the 3-month pay policy", "Quality education our concern", "Quality education goes with adequate motivation of teachers", and "Your political opponent is not your enemy".

Others were "Mr President—scrap the killing taxes", "Workers deserve living wage", "Mr President—workers are suffering", "Better Ghana, better pay, and "Our salaries are very poor".

The Northern Regional Minister, Mr Abdallah Abubakari, in his address, admonished the workers to be ambassadors of peace at their various work places.

Upper East Region

From Navrongo, Vincent Amenuveve reports that hundreds of workers converged on the Centre of Sports (COS) Park at Navrongo in the Kassena Nankana Municipality in the Upper East Region to observe this year's May Day.

The workers earlier took to the streets of Navrongo to mark the day. They carried placards some of which read "VRA reduce tariffs; prepaid is killing us", "Government help retrieve our money from DKM", "Political parties: We need issue-based campaigns free from insults" and "EC we need free and fair elections".

The Deputy Upper East Regional Minister, Dr Robert Baba Kuganab-Lem, underscored the need for workers to ensure high productivity as a way of contributing meaningfully to the peace and stability of the region and the country as a whole.

Eastern Region

In Koforidua, Mr Patrick Adjetey Adjei was adjudged the Best Worker of the Eastern Region, writes George Folley.

Sister Amematu Monta was the first runner-up, while Brother Baah Konadu was the second runner-up.

The eventual winner took home a 32-inch flat screen television set, a certificate and citation.

The Eastern Regional Minister, Ms Mavis Ama Frimpong, commended workers for their hard work and appealed to them to increase productivity.

Central Region 

From Cape Coast, Timothy Gobah reports that workers in the Central Region, despite the May Day falling on a Sunday, converged on the Jubilee Park in Cape Coast in their numbers after a route march from Mfantsipim School Junction through the principal streets of the metropolis.

The Regional Minister, Mr Kweku Rickett-Hagan, in his address, commended public sector workers for maintaining political neutrality and urged all workers to use dialogue to demand reasonable conditions of service and also use their influence in society to promote peaceful elections.

Twenty–six workers from various labour unions were honoured. Some were presented with LED television sets and refrigerators. Mr David Dzogbor from the Ekumfi District Assembly emerged the Overall Best Activist.

Ashanti Region 

From Kumasi, Donald Ato Dapatem reports that the Ashanti Regional Minister, Mr John Alexander Ackon, was the toast of labour unions at the Jubilee Park for his dancing with the workers as they celebrated May Day.

Mr Ackon, in his white labour T-shirt and golf cap to match, started dancing when he and other dignitaries went round to congratulate the workers who were dancing to brass band music. 

Halfway through the programme, the master of ceremony called some labour groups to provide music as an interlude and immediately they started playing, the regional minister again joined the labour unions in dancing to the admiration and commendation of the celebrants.

Western Region

In Takoradi, the Presidential Candidate of the Convention People’s Party (CPP), Mr Ivor Greenstreet, joined hundreds of workers to celebrate this year’s May Day event, writes Akwasi Ampratwum Mensah.

The leadership of organised labour used the occasion to reward workers who had distinguished themselves at their various places of work.