Regional May Day Parade at Bolgatanga Ends in Grand Style

01-05-2011

At Bolgatanga in the Upper East Region, the occasion of this years’ May Day Parade was celebrated with pump and pageantry as various public sector workers joyously marched in a procession through the principal street of the municipality. Workers after the route march later converged at the foregrounds of the Regional Trades Union Congress office with some holding banners and placards with inscriptions that reads “ We need more jobs”, “No sweet talking, let the Single Spine materialize”, and “ help restore irregularities on Single Spine” among others.They were clad in their various colourful labour T shirts and caps. This year’s celebration on the theme: ‘Decent work for Sustainable Economic Development saw some deserving workers claiming awards of various kinds. Some took home table top fridges, 21 inch colour television sets and certificates whilst the overall best worker, Madam Agnes Sugro, a 45 year old store keeper at the Garu-Tempane District Assembly took home a brand new laptop and a certificate for her outstanding performance exhibited in the course of her duty. The Upper East Regional Minister, Mark Woyongo in an address declared government’s determination in ensuring better condition of workers particularly those in the public sector. He described the theme for this year’s celebration as timely since government has declared the year as an action one. Mr. Woyongo implored workers to work delinquently and honestly to merit whatever enumeration that comes with it and bemoaned poor attitude towards work, which he said, sometimes resort to embezzlement, and corruption thereby having negative impact on productivity and consequently poor remuneration to workers. He further challenged all Ghanaian workers to do retrospection on attitudes towards work and resolve to change such habits for the betterment of the economy. Mr. Woyongo however entreated workers to exercise restraint on the irregularities associated with the Single Spine pay policy since all steps are being taken to address the abnormalities. He pleaded with the leadership of organized labour to always exhaust all the possible avenues in redressing their grievances rather than taking to the streets at the least resort. He also seized the opportunity to educate the public on the need to adapt to better sanitary practices, particularly the indiscriminate littering of the environment. The Regional Secretary of the Ghana Trades Union Congress, Mr Augustine Adongo Apambilla on his part charged government to do all it can to better workers salary since the outcome of mapping of public sector workers onto the SSSS clearly shows that the level of pay in the public sector is still nothing to write home about hence, the need to improve upon it. Mr. Apambilla urged workers to continue to contribute towards the fortunes of the economy through hard work and dedication. Various solidarity messages were read to herald the day’s celebration.

GBC END IA/