Regional News of Thursday, 10 March 2005

Source: GNA

Companies urge to apply achievable methods to ensure expansion - ICU

Tema, March 10, GNA - The Tema Regional Officer of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), Mr Morgan Ayawine, has called on local unions and management of companies to re-strategise and apply achievable methods in production to ensure expansion and job creation in the country.

This will also reduce the government's burden of having to create more jobs for the overwhelming unemployed youth in the country. The ICU Regional Chairman said this at the end of a two-day Trade Union seminar for 30 Local Union executives and shop stewards of Aluworks Limited.

The seminar, which was aimed at empowering participants with the requisite knowledge of their rights and responsibilities, took them through various topics including History and Structure of ICU, Work Ethics and Productivity, Occupational Health and Safety at the workplace, Grievance Handling as well as the new Labour Law.

He however, urged management of Aluworks to see it as a challenge to exploit the untapped resources for the benefit of the company and its employees to enhance the socio-economic development of the country. Mr Ayawine said though relations between management and workers of the company had not been cordial, "the present leadership of the company's local union has been conditioned enough to appreciate the essence of harmonious relationship with management and the need to put the past behind in order to foster a positive working relationship for accelerated growth of the company".

He hoped the participants would make good use of the knowledge acquired to exercise their rights and responsibilities legitimately without compromising productivity.

The Managing Director of the Company, Mr Venkataramana Kondagunta, stressed the need for teamwork by management and staff in every company to help the company move forward.

He mentioned attitude to work as the most important work ethics that each worker must adopt to ensure increase productivity. The Chairman of Aluworks Local Union, Mr Paul Danso-Agyei, urged all union members and management of various companies to embrace the new Labour Act to enhance industrial peace in the country.