The Union believed failure to heed the advice could undermine the country’s peace and stability.

Mr Morgan Ayawine, the General Secretary, ICU-Ghana, said in a statement to the Ghana News Agency on May Day that peace and stability played a pivotal role in the country’s socio-economic and national development.

This year’s May Day Celebration is on the theme: “Election 2024: The Role of Workers and Social Partners in Securing Peaceful Elections for National Development.”

“Let us remember and be proud of ourselves that Ghana is the beacon of democracy in Africa, an enviable record we must jealously guard and keep for good,” he said.
He advised the government to put in place realistic and realisable economic measures that are sustainable to quickly turn around the current economic downturn hitting Ghanaian workers.

“We must jealously protect and guard against any employer who may want to short-change labour under the guise of global economic recession when it has been established that economies and businesses are recovering and the outcomes are positive,” he said.

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Mr Ayawine cautioned employers who indulge in the demeaning practice of converting permanent job positions to casual and contract work in a bid to maximise profit to halt it outright.

“For the empathetic employers who share in workers’ pain and are doing their bit to alleviate the pain and suffering, we salute and appreciate them and encourage them to do more,” he said.

He advised workers to continue with their avowed commitment to working harder all year round to ensure high productivity, profitability, and sustainability for their employers’ businesses.

That, the General Secretary stressed would achieve organisational goals for the mutual good of both parties and the growth and development of the national economy.

He said this year’s May Day was a solemn reminder of the rough and rugged path that our predecessors traversed close to one and a half centuries ago to attain industrial democracy.