Deputy Interior Minister makes last minute appeal against Thursday's demo

Deputy Interior Minister, James Agalga, has made a last minute appeal to organizers of Thursday's demonstration to rescind their decision.

Organised labour says they will embark on the protest to register their displeasure at current difficulties facing the economy which have also compounded their living conditions.

But Mr. Agalga is pleading with organised labour, to “allow good reason to prevail…and act on their good conscience” and put off their intended nationwide demonstration.

The one-day demonstration will see shops and businesses closed throughout the day.

The nationwide demonstration will be held simultaneously across the regional capitals, with Greater Accra expected to record the highest turnout of discontented workers from all sectors of the economy.

“The police administration…in their engagement with them [TUC] pointed it out quite clearly that they will prefer that they [TUC] have the demonstration on regional basis, so that [TUC] doesn't organize a nationwide demonstration”, the deputy Interior Minister pointed out.

He told Joy News' Francisca Kakra Forson this will enable the police service “bring men from other regions to support the demonstration”.

He said although nationwide demonstrations have been held in the past even with a limited police personnel, they have not been without incidents.

“Time without number, my Minister, Kwesi Ahoi, has told the whole world that we need to increase the [police] numbers. At the moment we have a little over 32,000 personnel and that does not even meet the minimum UN requirement”, he told Francisca.

He said the Interior Ministry had mentioned the limited number of police personnel in the country even before TUC planned the demonstration.

The Deputy Minister, however, assured the public that government was on top of the security arrangements to ensure the demonstration goes through without any incident.

Meanwhile, Solomon Kotei, General Secretary of Industrial and Commercial Union told Joy News they were unperturbed about the security shortfall.

He announced that the Obra Spot at the Kwame Nkrumah Circle in Accra would be the assembling point for the frustrated workers, by 6:30 a.m.

The demonstrators would match through the streets of Accra to the Ministry of Employment where their petition would be presented to the sector minister.

[GN] Story by Ghana | Myjoyonline.com | George Nyavor | [email protected]