Bolgatanga, Oct. 13, GNA – The General Secretary of the Medical Laboratory Professional Workers Union (MELPWU), Mr Cephas Kofi Akortor, has urged members of the Union to adopt the tenets of nonviolence and solidarity.
He said the future should give them hope and solidarity where they could fairly share the burden and gains of their Union’s struggle, so that none of them would retire poor after enjoying suitable welfare schemes among others.
Mr Akortor was speaking at the official launch of the MELPWU in Bolgatanga, capital of the Upper East Region on the theme; “Building a Strong Trade Union, Mobilising for a Real Deal”.
The General Secretary said the theme of the programme was carefully chosen to fit well into the situation of the Union as they mobilized membership to share ideas on how to take responsibility for their challenges, and how they could harness their employment and skills for a better working life.
The MELPWU is a body of laboratory professionals in Ghana who broke away from the Health Services Workers Union (HSWU) to advocate for better conditions of service for their members in the country.
Mr Akortor said: “For many years, we suffered several forms of injustice and discrimination at the workplace without a voice to speak, making us prone to economic hardship despite the contributions we make to build a healthy nation and economic growth.”
He said the lack of conditions of service had stifled their opportunity for equitable treatment at workplaces, prospects for their professional and personal development, fair income, security and social protection for their families and the right to participate in decisions that affected them.
“While people took advantage of our situation to exploit us, others also look down on us. Thankfully, through the forces of history, in the spirit of natural rights of a worker, freedom of association, self-organisation and representation along industrial lines, a revolution has taken place in our minds.
“With this new sense of dignity and self-respect, a new laboratory workforce has emerged,” the General Secretary said.
Mr Anthony Awortwe, the Deputy Chief Labour Officer, in his address reminded leadership of the MELPWU of the primary objective of every trade union, which was to promote and secure the socio-economic rights of its members.
“Certified Trade Unions achieve this objective by building capacity to engage with all the social partners within the employment space to address the socio-economic interest of the members,” he said.
In a fraternal message, the Vice President of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists, Mr Robert Kwashie Adedze-Kpodo commended leadership of the MELPWU for forming the Union, saying “We consider this initiative as a step in the right direction”.
He further pledged the cooperation and support of the Ghana Association of Medical Laboratory Scientists to MELPWU to address the welfare and industrial issues of their profession.
