Union leaders urged to tap experiences of predecessors

The General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Morgan Ayawine, has called on current trades union leaders to tap into the experiences of their predecessors in order to build on their knowledge.

He said this would strengthen their engagements with the management of their respective organisations and social partners.

That, he said, would also enable the current crop of union leaders to avoid the mistakes of their predecessors, and pre-empt recurring challenges in union-management relationship.

Mr Ayawine said this at the Quadrennial Delegates Conference of the ICU Local Union of Absa Bank Ghana Limited in Accra.

The ICU Deputy General Secretary in charge of Operations, Emmanuel Benimah, swore in the new executive of the local union at the event.

The new executives are Daniel Osei Adane — Chairman, William Aboagye — Vice-Chairman, Antwi Twum Barimah — Secretary, Grace Bernice Nkrumah — Assistant Secretary, Kwabena Owusu Bempah — First Trustee, Kwadwo Barimah — Second Trustee, Stephen Yirenkye — Executive Member, Stella Baaba Baah — Women’s Representative, and Kwabena Ohemeng — Youth Representative.

Circumspect

Mr Ayawine said workers’ leaders should be circumspect, sincere and honest in their relationship with management to ensure a harmonious co-existence, adding that such a relationship was critical to achieve organisational goals and to also meet the expectations of the workers for better conditions of service and job security.

The ICU General Secretary also urged managements of organisations to adhere to the provisions of Collective Agreements and the Labour Act, 2003, Act 651, to maintain and sustain harmonious relations at the workplace.

Theme

The event was dubbed: “The Bank’s Sustainability, the Union’s Concern”, and Brother Ayawine said it eloquently suggested the essence and relevance of a union at the workplace, where increased productivity and maximisation of profit were critical for the sustainability of the business for the benefit of the owners and the workers.

He said the theme was even more appropriate and relevant considering the new world of work brought about by the emergence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Brother Ayawine said the world of work had advanced into an era of industrial democracy and, as such, capital and labour had become equal partners.

He said it was important that one party in the equation would not impose itself over the other in that equal relationship, but that both must collaborate on equal terms in an atmosphere of give and take for a sustainable industrial peace, harmony and progress at the workplace.

He charged the new executive of the local union of Absa Bank Ghana to exhibit leadership to influence union-management relationship positively.