Tema, Dec 18, GNA -- The Trades Union Congress (TUC), at its two-day executive board meeting held on Friday at Tema, has accepted the membership of the Union of Industries Finance and Commercial Workers Union (UNICOF).

The UNICOF's membership of the TUC takes effect from January 01, 2005, Mr Wilson Agana, Greater Accra Regional Chairman of the TUC, told the Ghana News Agency on Saturday at Tema.

The same meeting, he said, also accepted the request of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) to finally break away from the TUC. The TUC's constitution allows the executive board to affiliate with any union provided it satisfies the condition and requirements of the TUC, he said.

UNICOF is a breakaway faction of the ICU after it had accused the ICU leadership of mismanagement and dictatorship and had since October 2003, applied to the TUC to affiliate with it.

The ICU leadership also threatened to withdraw its membership from the TUC should it accept the membership of the UNICOF.

The meeting was attended by Mr Kwasi Adu Amankwaah, Secretary General of the TUC, Mr Kofi Asamoah, Deputy Secretary General in charge of Operations and Mr Alex Bonney, National Chairman of the TUC among other executive board members.