Accra, Jan 18, GNA - The Ghana Post Company Limited has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Ministry of Manpower Development under which monies would be disbursed free of charge to the vulnerable in society as a form of social welfare.

The disbursement would be done on quarterly basis in the districts where social welfare personnel would help identify those in need to enable personnel of Ghana Post to allocate monies to such individuals. Mr Kofi Dua-Adonteng, Managing Director of the Company announced this in Accra on Friday at the opening of the second Ghana Post Divisional Delegates Conference, being attended by about 65 delegates from across the country.

Mr Dua-Adonteng explained that the monies would serve as a form of financial support for the vulnerable to "look after themselves, pay for their children' school fees, and even feed themselves and to reduce their suffering".

"The project is expected to start after March this year as discussions continue on the way forward as well as how to sustain it." The Managing Director also announced that the Company had been contracted to sell the government's jubilee bonds of which allocations had been received already for onward sales.

Mr Dua-Adonteng said the conference's theme: "Diversification of Postal Services, Challenges and Prospects - The Role of the Union", was fascinating because it was in connection with changing circumstances under which the company found itself in the face of globalistaion, regulation, competition, and privatisation. He, therefore, urged the Postal Union to play its role of not only ensuring industrial harmony, but together with management get workers to be committed to their work to help break the cycle of gloom, low moral and low wages.

Mr. Mathias Kojo Gyan, Ghana Post Divisional Chairman, said trade unions were legal institutions formed to protect the rights of workers and as such management should be ever ready to "jaw-jaw" with unions on issues in the spirit of trust and respect. He expressed the hope that the theme would inspire both union and management members to identify appropriate and profit-making areas of activities and diversify.

Mr Marcellus D. Chanayire, General Manager, Human Resource management in a speech read for him said the way forward for Ghana Post was to ensure close collaboration between management and the union in taking decisions which may be hard and difficult but necessary to move the company forward.

Delegates would review the rules and regulations of the union, elect new officers and discuss the way forward for the next four years.