The leadership of the Trades Union Congress has denied reports that they will be demonstrating on Wednesday, which happens to be May Day to press home their demands from government.
According to them, what they will embark on is only a procession they usually do during May Day celebrations.
Speaking on Okay FM’s Ade Akye Abia programme, Deputy General Secretary of TUC, Mr. Joshua Ansah, explained that the unions have only changed the normal itinerary of going to march at the Independence Square during their celebrations, but will gather at the Obra spot for the procession.
"And you know, because the Obra spot is popularly noted for demonstration grounds, people feel we are going to demonstrate against government. It is not so, we will march through town with placards and then finally meet the President for the celebrations of workers day," he added.
Mr Joshua Ansah further stated that the change was to ensure workers were calm and collected at the time of the delivery of the May Day speeches.
In previous celebrations, he said workers marched past and saluted the Secretary General and the President.
Similar parades had workers in the regions and districts marching and paying respect to the regional secretary generals and representatives of the President.
Worker's Pensions
This year the May Day speech by the Secretary General, Dr Yaw Baah, will focus primarily on workers' pensions.
Already, a pre-May Day forum has brought together experts to engage workers on their pensions.
The Secretary General will also take the opportunity to speak about his passion, that is the gender inequalities even in pensions.
Dr Baah will also emphasise the lack of a safety net for workers in the informal sector, for instance, farmers, when they retire.
He is expected to ask for the commitment of the government to revive a policy to give pensions to cocoa farmers and also expand it to cover all workers in the informal sector.
211th May Day
This year’s celebration of the May Day which is also known as International Workers Day, will hit its 211th anniversary.
The international commemoration of a day for workers was officially instituted in 1891 to commemorate what is known as the Haymarket Massacre in Chicago on May 4, 1886.
Four workers among a crowd of the demonstrating workers pressing their demands for an eight-hour work day, were killed when an unidentified person threw a bomb into the crowd.
The police was sent to quell the strike and they started firing into them resulting in the death of the four.
Engagements after the riots among workers led to the recognition of May 1 as an International Day on which workers are celebrated.
Internationally, workers will be commemorating and engaging on the theme: Uniting workers for social and economic advancement.
Source: Isaac Kwame Owusu/Peacefmonline.com/[email protected]
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