Africa-Press – Ghana. The Extractive Industry Workers’ Union Ghana (EIWUG) has called on the government to put the Sunyani-Kenyasi road into good shape to facilitate the movement of the people and thereby boost economic activities.
The Union is under the Federation of Labour and works to promote the welfare of employees in the mining sector According to Mr Victor Asare Gyapong, the Executive Director of EIWUG, the deplorable condition of the road obstructed the movement of vehicles and slowed down the economic activities of the people.
He was speaking at the official launch and the opening of Union’s national secretariat in Sunyani, held on the theme “Partnering for progress: Shaping the Future of Industrial Relations.”
As one of the busiest roads, Mr Gyapong said the bad nature of the road required urgent attention and called on the government to order the Ministry of Roads and Highways to do something immediately in reshaping the stretch.
“The condition of the road now transcends mere infrastructure but encompasses human welfare, development and productivity,” he stated, adding that “lives, economic livelihoods and national development hang in the balance.”
Instead of less than an hour, Mr Gyapong regretted it took more than two hours to travel from Sunyani to Kenyasi due to the deteriorated condition of the road.
That, he added, resulted into fatigue driving and health implications that diminished productivity and led to higher vehicle maintenance expenses.
“Women and female employees suffer the most when using the road,” regretted. Mr Gyapong said the union also focused on empowering and promoting the rights and welfare of employees.
In that regard, he said: “We have launched the transformative savings scheme to encourage financial discipline, long-term stability, and wealth creation among the members.” The scheme operates along with an insurance protection scheme designed to assist members to secure their future.
Mr Isaac Maalma-Kaminta, the Deputy Chief Labour Officer at the Bono Regional Labour Department, said the Department said the essential role of trade unions in bettering the socio-economic livelihoods of workers remained unparalleled.
He urged the EIWUG to continue to advocate better conditions of service for its members and promote innovations, safety, gender equality and environmental stewardship and asked them to remain accountable, minimise workplace disputes, and contribute to job productivity.
EIWUG which has 460 members now was officially registered on June 2, 2020, in accordance with Section 84 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
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