The General Secretary of the Federation of Labour,`Mr Abraham Koomson, says he would by the end of the week petition the President, John Dramani Mahama, over the sidelining of local companies in the production of fabric for the free school uniform project.
He told Weekend Finder that although government had promised to make it a policy to procure the fabric from local textile manufacturing companies, as a means of revamping the local textile industry and creating jobs, that promise is not being fulfilled.
He said although government has entered into contractual agreements with some local textile manufacturers to produce the fabric for the project, it has abandoned them for products from China.
He said the union is embittered by the development and seeks to draw the attention of the President to the promise he made to the local textile industry players when he was Vice-President.
Mr Koomson described governments choice to procure the uniforms from China when local companies have invested heavily in machinery in anticipation to produce the uniforms for the school project as bad faith.
He mentioned, for example, that the Volta Star Textiles Company Limited,with the needed support, could retool to produce fabric for the free school uniform project.
He also expressed displeasure at the current state of the Ghanaian textile industry, which he said is at the verge of collapse.
Last Wednesday, the workers of Volta Star Textiles Company Limited locked up the factory in protest over unpaid salaries and outstanding allowances.
But Mr Koomson says the textile industry has the capacity to produce the needed employment and job opportunities that the government seeks to create.
<<Print>>