Kumasi, Aug. 24, GNA - Members of trades union have been advised not to concentrate solely on the payment of dues but strive to participate more regularly on activities of the union.

Mr. Kofi Arhin Sam, National Trustee of the Public Service Workers Union (PSWU), who gave the advice, said payment of dues to the neglect of regular attendance of meetings and participation in programmes of the union turns to undermine the impact of the union on the workers front. Mr. Sam was addressing a one-day conference of the Ashanti Regional branch of the Women's Committee of the PSWU, the women's wing of the union in Kumasi on Wednesday.

The conference, which was attended by 51 executive members drawn from branches of the committee in the region, sought to create a platform for assessment of their past performances and the adoption of an action plan for the next four years.

It was also used as to elect new executive officers to steer activities of the committee for the ensuing four years. They are Mrs Nancy Adu-Asamoah, Chairperson, Miss Janet Amponsah, Vice-Chairperson and Miss Scholarstica Dery, Secretary.

Mr. Sam was not happy that most of the branches of the PSWU had remained dormant and thus impacting negatively on issues of labour at those levels.

He therefore called on the PSWU to evolve and embark on a programme to not only reactivate, but also re-organise those branches to make them live up to expectation.

Mrs. Evelyn Nyim-Asare, out-going Chairperson of the Women's Committee, entreated women to go beyond mere advocacy, saying that women like their men counterparts could do all jobs.

She said they could do this by vying with their male counterparts for higher positions in associations and groups rather than confining themselves positions of secretary and treasurer.

Mr. Albert Kwame Brew, Ashanti Regional Chief Industrial Relations Officer of the PSWU, advised the women to take advantage of marketable skill training being offered by the union and pass on such skills to others at their branches.