Hard work guarantees job security - Unionist

Takoradi, March 20 GNA - Mr Emmanuel Armstrong Mensah, General Secretary of the General Transport Petroleum Chemical Workers Union (GTPCWU) said hard work and dedication to duty would guarantee job satisfaction and security among workers.

He said this could properly be achieved if workers and union leaders had access to company profiles, targets, rights and responsibilities of the worker and employer, the Labour Act and collective bargaining agreements among other things. Mr Mensah, who was speaking at the Regional Executive Council meeting of the Union at Takoradi, said grievance handling, industrial disputes, collective bargaining negotiations, customer care, maintenance culture, punctuality at work, productivity, health, safety and work environment must be managed efficiently to promote peaceful and mutual work environment at all times.

Mr Mensah advised Union Leaders to establish healthy industrial relations with its social partners; government officials and civil society organisations to engender growth in the various organisations and to promote good governance in the country. He reminded employers that the presence of labour groups in their organisations was essential and, therefore, urged them to give greater attention to them.

Mr Moses Atter Teyekpiti, Senior Industrial Relations Officer (SIRO) of the GTPCWU, said grievance handling and dispute resolution had formed the main activities of the Union in the Western Region. He said disagreements with employers who violated their CBAs and some workers rights were major challenges the Union faced in the Region. Mr Frimpong Manso, Acting Western Regional Trades Union Secretary, said union work demanded seriousness, determination and the desire to fight for the rights of the working population. He, therefore, appealed to the Executives to ensure that they studied the Labour Laws and other conventions to make their daily operations effective.

Mr Seth Twum of Carmeuse Lime Products, was elected the Regional Council Chairman, Paul Cudjoe of Takoradi Gas Limited took the Vice Chairman position.

Moses A. Teyekpiti, SIRO, was returned as the Secretary while Madam Josephine Obeng of State Transport Company was elected First Trustee. Mr Ransford Cobbinah of Kingdom Transport Service took the Second Trustee position.