Construction workers call on UTAG, other unions not to break away from Organised Labour

The Construction and Building Material Workers Union (CBMWU) has called on the University Teachers Association of Ghana (UTAG) and other unions not to break away from organised labour.

According to the CBMWU any break away will affect the strength of organised labour in negotiating for conditions of service and other demands of workers.

General Secretary of the Union, Richard Asamoah, spoke exclusively with our labour correspondent Daniel Opoku in Accra on October 10.

Tensions are still rife among some organised labour members after the leadership announced suspension of a nationwide strike.

Unions such as UTAG have proceeded to withdraw their services, accusing leadership of organised labour of acting in bad faith and showing gross disrespect to other unions.

Barely twenty-four hours of UTAG declaring a nationwide strike, other labour unions are also seeking the approval of their national councils to join the strike by UTAG.

But Richard Asamoah has called for calm. He pleaded with the other union leaders not to break away from organised labour.

“As labour unions, we should be neutral, if we should break away, you see we have individual differences, we shouldn’t expect that we are going to tow your line. If we should break away it will not help us. Let us understand that united we stand divided we fall”.

“So, I will advise that other unions who are threatening to break away not to do that. We are one people with a common destiny we want Mother Ghana to get back on track, our rivers back on track and this is why we should sit to strategise,” he pleaded.

In another development, some of the organised labour union leaders have come under severe criticism for being compromised.

But Mr Asamoah disagreed.

“I have also heard of that, I have had calls but before God and man, I have not seen any leader collecting such monies and we as unions we will deal with any executive who might have gone in for that thing”.

“I have not seen it; I believe we will have meetings upon meetings and we are going to check ourselves and see before God and man I don’t believe it.”

He called on government to act fast and ensure implementation of the initiatives to stop galamsey.

“We have also seen that the government is to collaborate with the labour unions so that together we will have ways of bringing sanity in the system.”

“The government says they are deploying soldiers let’s keep an eye on that,” Mr Amoah stated.