10 Labour Groups In Bawku Threaten to Withdraw services(D/G Monday January 17, 2009)

Ten labour groups in the Bawku municipality have threatened to withdraw their services by the first of February, this year, if nothing is done to improve on the security situation in the conflict-prone area.The threat follows the death of an assistant chief medical assistant, Mr Roger Alenga, on December 31, 2009 and whose body is still at the mortuary of the Bolgatanga Government Hospital awaiting burial.“Government should note seriously that the protracted insecurity situation in the Bawku Traditional Area has generated lack of hope among organised labour hence government should, without delay, act swiftly to ensure a peaceful environment; otherwise workers in the municipality would lay down their working tools by 1st February, 2010 or take the necessary steps to relocate any moment from now without notice.”The threat was contained in a petition issued last Friday to the chairman of the Regional Security Council and copied to the heads of security agencies in Bawku and the media.The petition was signed by representatives of 10 labour groups namely: the Teachers and Educational Workers Union, Judicial Service Staff Association, Ghana Registered Nurses Association and the Health Service Workers Union.The rest are the National Association of Graduate Teachers, Public Services Workers Union, Civil Servants Association and the Ghana National Association of Teachers.“With hearts full of sorrow, we regret to inform your honoured offices that the death toll among workers as of December 31, 2009 in the municipality stood as high as seven — three deaths recorded prior to our petition in June, 2009 and four others thereafter.“It is also heartbreaking to bring to your notice that following the death of the medical assistant, several workers have chosen to stay off work in order to avoid the unexpected, in view of the current insecurity in the municipality”.The workers called on the government to ensure that the security agencies and the Inter-Ethnic Peace Committee were strengthened enough to guard against the lingering insecurity and speed up the attainment of absolute peace in the Bawku Traditional Area.Responding to the threats by the workers, the Upper East Regional Minister, Mr Mark Woyongo, said though REGSEC appreciated the sacrifices being made by the workers, he had thought they would have resorted to dialogue rather than issue a threat to withdraw their services.“Considering the relationship we have with workers in this region, there should have been a follow-up on their earlier petition in June, last year, to discuss the issue further with us and the threat to withdraw their services should have been the last resort,” he said.According to the Regional Minister, he was very much concerned about the welfare of workers in that part of the country and he, together with other members of REGSEC, would do everything to protect them.“If there are security problems, we will definitely be the first to advice on what to do. We are concerned and would not like to expose them to any risk or danger,” Mr Woyongo said.He described the current threat as rather unfortunate, since steps were underway to encourage the Mamprusis side on the Bawku Inter-Ethic Peace Committee to re-join the negotiation table in the search for peace in the area.He promised the workers that everything possible would be done to bring peace to the area and appealed to the workers to explore all avenues for dialogue.

BAWKU WEST SUPPLIES EXERCISE BOOKS TO BASIC SCHOOLS (PAGE 22, DEC 31)

The Bawku West District Assembly has presented 6,000 exercise books to the District Directorate of Education for onward distribution to basic schools in the district.
The free exercise books, which were presented to the district assembly by the co-ordinating council, are to complement the efforts of parents in improving the standards of learning in the district.
The Bawku West District Chief Executive (DCE), Mr Anabah Adam Moro, who made the presentation at a brief ceremony entreated the education directorate to ensure that each beneficiary pupil got at least five exercise books to cover most of the subjects taught.
He said it was the assembly’s contribution to educational development in the district, reckoning that the people lived in a deprived area where most parents were not capable of buying books and other learning materials for their children.
He advised the pupils to make good use of the books to attain maximum benefits from their use.
In a related development, the Executive Committee of the Bawku West District Assembly has recommended that children be banned from attending video shows and funerals where spinners perform after 8p.m.
The measure is to check the falling standards of education in the area.
The DCE, in his address at the third ordinary meeting of the fifth session of the assembly, also imposed a ban on the use of mobile phones in basic schools, and proposed the enactment of bye-laws to stem the tide of the increasing incidence of teenage pregnancies in the district.