The Tema Metropolitan Chief Executive, Yohane Amarh Ashitey, has commended Ghanaian workers for their continued sacrifices for the country’s developmental progress, saying workers remain the engine of development.

In a May Day message, he urged all workers not to relent on the sacrificial role that they are playing for the development of the country, saying such resourcefulness is what the country needs the most in the current economic challenges that it is facing.

“It is no secret that things have been tough in the last few years due to the global factors that have plagued every country in the world, however, these challenges are the reasons why we must continue to be resolute about serving the progress agenda of our country,” the Tema Mayor wrote.

He added, “Ghanaian workers continue to remain the engine of development and their efforts are what will in the end propel all of us out of the current economic quagmire that we find ourselves in.”

The message was released on 1st May, 2023 to commemorate this year’s edition of the May Day calendar event.May Day is a May 1 celebration with a long and varied history, dating back millennia. Throughout the years, there have been many different events and festivities worldwide, most with the express purpose of welcoming in a change of season (spring in the Northern Hemisphere).

In the 19th century, May Day took on a new meaning, as an International Workers’ Day grew out of the 19th-century labour movement for worker’s rights and an eight-hour workday in the United States. May Day 2023 is Monday, May 1, 2023.Generally, the 2023 edition of May Day is coming in the wake of economic challenges that are plaguing most countries in the world in the aftermath of the COVID-19 pandemic and the toll from the Russia/Ukraine war.

In Ghana, workers have been at the receiving end of the brunt of the challenges, with inflation eating away the value of real income and plunging many into sudden, unplanned economic confusion.

However, Hon. Yohane Amarh Ashitey, in the last couple of months has been urging Ghanaians in general to keep supporting and trusting the government as it navigates the country out of the current conundrum.

He reiterated that call in his May Day message.

“Already, things are poised to begin looking up as government and the IMF enter the last lap of negotiations for a bailout. I urge all Ghanaians to keep on keeping faith with the government. And as for us workers, let us hold on and complete the race of sacrifice that we have run so far so that we push our country out of the current doldrums,” Hon. Yohane Amarh Ashitey added.