Abdul-Moomin Gbana (R) presenting winning prize to Richard Amfoh Jnr as a colleague, Osei Kofi Jnr looks on
More than 300 members of the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union, (GMWU) of TUC-Ghana, from various mining companies, have been celebrated and honoured in Accra, for their hard work in keeping the mines and by extension, Ghana’s economy running.
The event, which was in the form of funfair and raffle draw, held at the National Theatre, on the sidelines of the 2024 May Day celebrations, saw a number of union members winning electronic gadgets, valued at GH¢85,000 while some won cash prizes.
The prizes included, 10 KG front-loading washing machines with Wifi, gas cooker, 60X60 free standing 4 burner electric oven, 55 inches android digital satellite 4k televisions, 43 inches smart digital satellite televisions, table top fridges, digital microwave ovens, electric rice cookers, kettles and irons.
National Chairman of GMWU of TUC, Peter Baako Wilson, and the Deputy General Secretary, Jerry Kwabena Andoh, supported by other staff at the GMWU Secretariat, exhibited great dynamism and humour during the raffle draw, and this kept union members on their feet amidst singing and dancing, as the lucky winners enthusiastically ran to pick their luck coupons to grab the prizes at stake.
The Union statement, noted that the national leadership of the GMWU of TUC-Ghana, for more than a decade, has been organising such funfairs and raffle draws, on every May Day, immediately after the national parade, in appreciation of the commitment of the members towards the growth of the mines, the Union and the country in general.
In his remarks, the General Secretary of the Ghana Mineworkers Union, GMWU of TUC-Ghana, Abdul-Moomin Gbana, underscored the significance of recognising the sacrifices made by labour activists in their pursuit of workers’ rights and improved working conditions.
He indicated that workers can therefore, not take issues of conditions of service for granted.
“We should not take the union for granted, because it remains our heritage. The May Day celebration has a long and rich history deeply rooted in the advancement of workers’ rights, throughout history, these rights have been fought for and won through the formation of unionized groups,” Mr. Gbana said.
He added, “what remains now, is for workers to collectively support their respective labour unions and hold their leadership accountable, ensuring the leaders do not engage in activities that undermine the purpose for which they were formed.”
The GMWU General Secretary, advised workers to remain vigilant and actively participate in union activities, through which they can contribute to the preservation and furtherance of workers’ rights whilst holding their leaders in check.
Mr. Gbana, while commending workers for their invaluable role to national development, stressed the need for them to be mindful of their health and safety at work, especially, those engaged in hazardous and life-threatening occupations.
“Mining is also a very hazardous work. And given the nature of the work that we do, workers work during night shifts, sometimes they work for long hours. 12 hours running you see them using dump trucks, excavators, dozers, and all that these are heavy duty machines, and their exposure is so high.”
“So it’s also important that in terms of the health and safety of members, we remain alert and attentive to the work that we do.”
He continued that “Let’s always be mindful of the fact that our safety is very important and for us to continue to remain in employment, we need to work safely in order to ensure the welfare of our families and love ones,” Mr. Gbana urged.
He also reminded employers of the need to recognise that they are in a relationship, “and whether they like it or not, they cannot do away with workers, for that matter with unions.”
He emphasised that it is therefore urgently imperative for both sides to work closely together in a very collaborative cooperative manner, indicating that employers should not see workers and for that matter, their unions as a threat or as a hindrance to business.
“At the end of the day, the profitability or the profits that you make as employers come from the hard work, the sweat of workers, and so you cannot run an enterprise without workers.”
He said employers and workers, collaborating to enhance the workplace, by way of health and safety and also to improve the working conditions of workers, is a duty both sides should uphold all times.
“At the end of the day workers who have a very sound, peace of mind, obviously, will translate in terms of hard work, and for that matter, productivity for the employer. So, they should open up and let us work collaboratively together,” Mr. Gbana added.
A Daily Guide Report