Accra, Nov. 17, GNA - The Ghana Highway Authority (GHA) has initiated an open policy, which provides opportunity for women employees to work towards self-advancement in their career, Mr Asafo-Adjei, Deputy Chief Executive of the Authority has said.

He said the cardinal aim is to encourage women to aspire to the top and advised all workers, especially females to take advantage to develop their professional and academic status so that it could facilitate their progression to higher positions.

Mr Asafo-Adjei said these at the end of a National Women Conference held in Accra by the Construction and Building Materials Workers Union (CBMWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) with the aid of International Federation of Building and Woodworkers (IFBWW). He stressed on harmonious working relations between management and union, which is better than resorting to confrontational approaches to resolve grievances.

Mr P. M. K. Quainoo, General Secretary of the CBMWU, said the conference, the first of its kind by women, re-affirms the National Unions' commitment to respect every provision of union constitution and implement decisions according to the will of members.

He said, because in the past men took positions little did they know that, unconsciously women in the minority were being denied the opportunity to the higher decision-making structures of the union.

Mr Quainoo said they were told that "it was not natural to exercise assertive power in a male dominated organisation", adding that for that reason, women even felt guilty to see the few daring ones asserting themselves and joined the foray to call those aspiring, names. He said the union would endeavour to champion the course of women, so that they should confront feminine issues by adopting two-way communication in finding solutions.

The conference reviewed the status of women and recommended that their representatives to future National Executive Council (NEC) and the Quadrennial delegates conferences should be accorded full delegates status and not observers as provided by the constitution, which ought to be reviewed.

The CBMWU elected Ms. Mary Asuem and Ms. Jane Tsibo-Yeboah to serve on the National Executive Council as observers.

They also advocated trade union seminars and entrepreneurial skills development programmes to empower and enhance their economic status. The conference elected Ms Selina Dabuoh as the chairperson of the National Women's Committee with Ms Mary Asuem (rpt. Asuem), Vice Chairperson, while MsGeorgina Gihati (ed correct) took the position of Secretary and Miss Jane Tsibo-Yeboh, Assistant Secretary.

Other officers are Madam Paulina Morton-Bruce, Carolin Botchway, first and second trustees respectively. The rest of the executive members are Madam Rose Agbeka (rpt. Agbeka), Madam Bridget Normanyo.