TEGLU dissapointed at suspension of anti-piracy textile taskforce

Donald Ato Dapatem / Daily Graphic / Ghana Dec - 09 - 2013 , 05:22

The Textiles, Garments and Leader Employees Union (TEGLU) has expressed disappointment at what it calls the “unilateral decision” by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to suspend the operations of the National Anti-Textile Piracy Taskforce.

It said without recourse to other stakeholders, a Deputy Minister, Mr Edwin Nii Lantey Vanderpuije, last Wednesday suspended the activities of the taskforce, a development which had emboldened “the perpetrators of the illicit trading activities”.

A statement signed by the General Secretary of the Federation of Labour, Mr Abraham Koomson, said “As far as TEGLU is aware, there is no iota of truth in the allegations by the traders that the taskforce has been violent in the execution of its mandate.”

The Ministry of Trade and Industries on Tuesday, December 3 suspended the operations of the Anti-Piracy Textile Taskforce to, according Mr Vanderpuije, allow for a meeting of all stakeholders to streamline its operation.

Last Monday

A day before the Ministry of Trade and Industries announced the suspension, the taskforce had confiscated 1,035 pieces of pirated textiles, made up of both fancy and wax prints, at the 31st December Market in Accra which it intended to destroy to serve as a deterrent to others.

It took the action following threats by workers in the textile industry to go on a demonstration through some principal streets of Accra to draw public and the government’s attention to the impact of pirated imported textiles on the industry and their jobs.

The taskforce was set up by the Ministry of Trade and Industry to clamp down on the activities of pirates and tax evaders of textiles.

It comprises representatives of the Ministry of Trade and Industry, the Ghana Revenue Authority, textile manufacturing companies and the police.

Suspension

The TEGLU said it was concerned about and committed to seeking the wellbeing of workers and the citizenry and, therefore, supported moves by the government to build a stronger economy to create jobs.

However, the union said it abhorred “measures of government which subvert industrial growth and demonstrate complicity in criminal activities of traders”.

Quoting portions of the World Trade Organisation (WTO) Trade-Related Aspects of Intellectual Property Rights (TRIPS) Agreement, the union stated that the law provided that the government of Ghana must protect intellectual property rights and create a congenial environment for manufacturing industries to grow and retain jobs.

WTO rules

Article 61 of the TRIPS agreement states: “Members shall provide for criminal procedures and penalties to be applied at least in cases of willful trademark counterfeiting or copyright piracy on a commercial scale. Remedies available shall include imprisonment and or monetary fines sufficient to provide a deterrent, consistently with the level of penalties applied for crimes of a corresponding gravity.

“In appropriate cases, remedies available shall also include the seizure, forfeiture and destruction of infringing goods and of any materials and implements the predominant use of which has been in the commission of the offence.”