AGC crises - stakeholders meet, work to resume
UGM urges President Rawlings to act on AGC strike
Mining Company pollutes river with chemical waste
Owusu Acheampong declares support for Professor Mills
Mills orders government departments to display fees for services
Thirty persons rendered homeless at Pakyi
Minister wants by-laws on students outing enforced
Rawlings worried about activities of illegal land developers
Andrew Young urges Ghana Airways to fly to Atlanta
Twin-city relations ideal for African development -Moore
Chainsaw operators invade Klaw forest
NDC denies fight over late MP's car
Africa women adopt Zanzibar Declaration
AGC crises - stakeholders meet, work to resume
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 May '99
The striking workers of the Ashanti Goldfields Company Limited (AGC) on Monday evening agreed to resume work immediately.
Within 72 hours of resumption of duty, the management and union would meet to re-negotiate, according to a Memorandum of Understanding signed by the social partners at the end of a day long meeting convened at the instance of the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare.
The Memorandum said the workers and management have agreed to re-affirm their confidence in the negotiation process and to abide by the rules governing such practices.
"The results of the negotiation and subsequent related developments will be communicated to the Ministry of Employment and Social Welfare."
The Memorandum of Understanding was signed by Alhaji Mohammad Mumuni, Minister of Employment and Social Welfare, Mr Christian Appiah Adjei, Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress and Mr J. K. Brimpong, National Chairman of the Ghana Mine Workers Union.
The others who signed were Elaine Kwame, Senior Manager Administration, Sam Okrah, Corporate Executive, Industrial Relations, Ms Adelaide Borden, Branch Secretary, Obuasi Union and Eric Addae Twum-Barimah, General Manager, Human Resources.
The rest are Abraham Baidoo, Branch Union Chairman Obuasi Union, George Sankarl, Assistant Branch Secretary Obuasi Union, Samuel Ocran, Vice- Chairman Obuasi Union.
Those from the Ayanfuri mine, who signed were Mensah Kwarko Gyakari, Branch Union Chairman, Naab Augustine Baba, Branch Secretary and Daniel Opoku Acheampong, deputy Secretary.
The meeting of stakeholders to resolve the 11-day-old strike by workers of Ashanti Goldfields Company at the Obuasi mine began in Accra on Monday with a call for dialogue for the mine to re-open.
Alhaji Mumuni, said, in his opening statement, that everything possible should be done to bring the situation back to normal.
An earlier meeting could not reach a compromise as management and workers were divided on the agenda.
Whilst AGC management representatives maintained that they were not there for negotiations, union members and the workers held the view that negotiations should be open on salary issues.
The workers are demanding an increase in monthly minimum salaries from 132 dollars to 500 dollars.
At 1300 hours, the meeting was adjourned to allow for further consultations of the partners.
Speaking to newsmen after the first meeting, Alhaji Mumuni said it did not touch on negotiations or salaries.
He said the main aim was to bring the management and striking workers together in a conducive atmosphere to brainstorm on how to solve the problem from their own perspectives.
Alhaji Mumuni said a significant step forward had been made to achieve this, adding that the meeting was "productive, friendly and cordial".
He said "we are in the boat together and we sink together".
Asked whether the impasse could be resolved today, Alhaji Mumuni replied, "that is being too optimistic.
Alhaji Mumuni said, AGC has a high profile internationally and anything affecting the company has national and international dimensions.
He called for dialogue among all interested parties to arrive at a consensus and get the striking workers back to work.
He said whatever happens to AGC impacts on the national economy and development.
The Minister described the labour dispute as unfortunate, saying the strike has adversely affected productivity.
Mr Mumuni said with current globalisation and stiff international competition, Ghana could not afford to gamble with productivity.
The management of AGC said on Thursday that Ghana loses 700,000 dollars in export revenue for every day that the strike at the Obuasi mines continues.
"More importantly, this situation cannot help government efforts at attracting investment into this country", it said in a statement issued by Mr James Anaman, General Manager, Corporate Affairs.
"There has clearly been a breakdown of law and order, a situation which cannot augur well for the development of the country", AGC said.
The workers started the strike to press demands for more pay. However, AGC said wages of workers of the company had been indexed to the dollar.
Under this system, their wages have increased by 25 per cent over the last two years, going up from 295,000 cedis on May 1, 1997 to 370,000 cedis this month.
In addition, in May last year, Ashanti paid a lump sum of 250,000 cedis to each of the Obuasi mine workers, which is equal to a six per cent rise.
"The latest package agreed with the Mine Workers' Union provides for further benefits equivalent to a 10 per cent increase."
AGC said these include a lump sum payment of 317,500 cedis, compared with the average wage of 370,000 cedis, a life insurance scheme funded by AGC which is equivalent to three per cent rise in pay and "an aggressive bonus scheme which rewards productivity."
"A typical underground worker at Obuasi can earn 900,000 cedis per month including the basic wage and production bonus.
"In addition, he gets an annual production bonus of not less than 400,000 cedis."
AGC said some employees have been given subsidised housing, medical benefits and scholarship schemes.
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UGM urges President Rawlings to act on AGC strike
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 May '99
United Ghana Movement (UGM) on Monday urged President Jerry John Rawlings to order an immediate stop to the "illegal occupation" of the Obuasi mines before irreparable damage is done to the economy and the country's reputation as a safe and reliable haven for investment.
It said the President also needs "to act decidedly and swiftly" to erase the growing public perception that the government's "kid's glove" attitude to the unlawful strike is due to the unofficial support for the strike.
This was contained in a statement issued in Accra on Monday and signed by Dr. Charles Wereko-Brobby, UGM's Presidential Candidate, for the 2000 elections.
The statement said President Rawlings must order the Minister of Employment to invoke the appropriate labour laws, especially, the statutory four-week notice of a strike or lockout, to order an immediate stoppage of the strike.
"The President must further order the Minister of the Interior, Nii Okaija Adamafio and the Inspector General of Police, Mr Peter Nanfuri to take every necessary lawful step to enforce the President's order to re-open the AGC mines and get it back to work immediately.
"Once the mine is open, the TUC and Ghana Mineworkers' Union must put AGC's offer to the entire workforce, to vote for acceptance or rejection.
"No industrial action nor acts of victimisation, whatsoever, must be carried out in the period between the opening of the mine and the announcement of the ballot result."
UGM said if the workers vote to accept the offer, the government must take every step to ensure that no illegal demonstrations or wanton acts of vandalism, takes place.
On the other hand, it said, if the workers vote for a strike action, then the Union must give the statutory 14 days notice and get back into negotiations with the AGC Management for a possible solution before the effective date of commencement of the official strike action.
UGM said the stoppage, coming at the time when there were several thousands of people attending the African-African American Summit could not have been more unfortunate or reckless.
"The orchestration of an illegal shut down of AGC is a major threat to every Ghanaian living everywhere today and many millions of Ghanaians yet to be born."
Describing AGC "as Ghana's flagship entity", the statement urged Ghanaians to support the AGC Management.
It said anything short of that would mean "the country's economic prospects will be bleak for the foreseeable future and we might as well postpone achieving Vision 2020 for at least another 100 years", the statement concluded.
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Mining Company pollutes river with chemical waste
Amakye-Bari (Ashanti Region) 25 May '99
The Member of Parliament (MP) for Atwima-Nwabiagya, Mr James Adusei Sarkodie, has expressed concern about pollution of River Offin with chemical waste from the operations of AMBA-Nwabiagya, a mining company based at Amakye-Bari in Ashanti.
Waste from the company's gold treatment plant is washed into the river, which serves as a source of drinking water for a number of communities in the Atwima district.
The MP, during an inspection of the mine, was critical about the mine's total disregard for safe environmental practices.
Mr Sarkodie was also not happy that the company has left manholes, some as deep as 30 feet uncovered and in some cases filled by water, which are potential death traps.
The MP expressed indignation at non-payment of compensation to farmers who have lost their farms through the mining activities of the company and asked the management to pay those affected immediately to avoid trouble.
Mr Thomas Ofori Donkor, assembly member for Amakye-Bari, accused AMBA-Nwabiagya of encroaching on lands that are outside its concession area.
He disclosed that the company has started taking away some of its machinery, an indication that it might fold up soon.
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Owusu Acheampong declares support for Professor Mills
Berekum (Brong Ahafo) 25 May '99
The Minister of Food and Agriculture, Mr J.H. Owusu-Acheampong, has declared his support for President Rawling's nomination of the Vice-President, Professor John Atta Mills, as the flag bearer of the National Democratic Congress (NDC) in the 2000 general elections.
He told a meeting of the Berekum NDC constituency executive officers at Berekum yesterday that he would offer dedicated service to the NDC and its leadership to sustain the country's forward march to prosperity and good governance.
Mr Owusu-Acheampong who is the MP for Berekum, had earlier been chosen unanimously by the meeting to stand again for the constituency in the forthcoming elections.
The minister expressed the hope that the declaration of his support for Professor Mills would put to rest rumours, allegations and speculations about his political ambitions.
Mr Owusu-Acheampong said like every politician, he has ambitions but never has he behaved in a way as to let those ambitions override the overall interests of the party.
He told the meeting that rumours about his loyalty to the NDC were calculated attempts to destroy him and advised NDC supporters to disregard them because they could only come from what he termed "mischievous minds."
Mr Owusu-Acheampong advised the supporters to be wary of people who have sworn to divide their ranks through rumour peddling and sowing of seeds of discord and urged them to evolve campaign strategies that would ensure victory for the party in the forthcoming elections.
Whispers in political corridors had it that Mr. Owusu-Acheampong who was the Minister for Parliamentary Affair until a major Cabinet re-shuffle late last year, had his eyes on the country's topmost post.
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Mills orders government deparments to display fees for services
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 May '99
The vice-president, John Evans Atta Mills has directed all official institutions to display prominently at vantage points in their various premises details of fees and charges for the services they render.
These, as well as exemptions where applicable, should be published in the newspapers, he ordered.
The instructions are contained in a letter dated April 20 sent to all ministers with copies to the Secretary to the President and the Presidential Adviser on Governmental Affairs.
Prof. Mills said it has been observed that one pervasive form of corruption, which impacts most severely on the underprivileged is the frequent demand on them for unauthorised payments for services rendered by personnel of various government institutions.
He noted that one factor that facilitates this is the public's apparent ignorance about the levels of fees and charges authorised for various services rendered by public officials.
"At times," he wrote, "the public is not even aware of which services are free."
Prof. Mills said as part of the measures to check this type of corruption in the public service, "It has been decided that all official institutions, such as hospitals, all offices which sell application forms, issue permits, charge processing fees and provide services of any kind, should display prominently at vantage points in
their various premises, details of fees and charges for the services they render."
The letter asked all sector ministers to issue appropriate directives to relevant organisations and institutions under them to comply strictly with the instructions without fail by May 31, 1999.
It said ministers should note that after the deadline, sanctions would be imposed for non-compliance.
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Thirty persons rendered homeless at Pakyi
Pakyi Number Two (Ashanti Region) 25 May '99
Thirty persons were rendered homeless and property estimated at over seven million cedis destroyed when a rainstorm hit Pakyi Number Two, a farming community in the Amansie West district of Ashanti last Wednesday.
Some houses had their roofs torn off, trees uprooted and large hectares of food crops destroyed.
No casualty was recorded.
Baffour Oduro Ababio, chief of Pakyi Number Two and Miss Cecilia Akyaa, assemblywoman for the area, conducted newsmen round the affected buildings and farms.
Baffour Ababio appealed to the Amansie West district assembly and National Disaster Management Organisation (NADMO) to assist the victims with building materials to enable them to rehabilitate their houses.
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Minister wants by-laws on students outing enforced
Berekum (Brong Ahafo) 25 May '99
District Assemblies and traditional councils in Brong Ahafo have been urged to ensure strict enforcement of bye-laws banning students and pupils from attending video shows, concerts and dances.
Mr Kwabena Kyere, Deputy Minister of Education, said these activities have been identified as factors responsible for the decline in educational standards in the region and should be removed to save the situation.
At a joint meeting of parents, students and teachers of Berekum Saint Augustine Roman Catholic Boys Junior Secondary School at the weekend, he said the adverse effects of night entertainment on students and pupils, especially in rural areas, should not be taken lightly.
Mr Kyere, who is an old-boy of the school, gave roofing sheets, which cost 3.4 million cedis, as his personal contribution towards the rehabilitation of the 60 year old four classroom block " now posing a great danger to pupils and teachers".
Mrs. Mary Boakye, Berekum District Chief Executive asked students to work hard to acquire higher education to enable them to face the challenges of the next millennium.
Madam Akua Debrah, District Director of Education called on fathers not to shirk their responsibilities towards their children.
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Rawlings worried about activities of illegal land developers
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 May '99
President Rawlings said on Monday that he is aware of the incessant pressure brought to bear on District Chief Executives by party executives and party activists for the award of contracts for which they do not qualify or the conferment of benefits and privileges which they do not deserve.
"This is not right and must stop." He said when commissioning the Institute of Local Government Studies at Ogbodjo, near Madina.
The functions of the institute include training local government officers and assembly members. It will also perform documentation, information, research, advisory and consultancy services.
The President announced that soon the government would be publishing a Code of conduct for public officials. This code will apply to party officials as well and is
intended, among others, to ensure that those who win contracts at the District and other levels do so on merit.
President Rawlings also expressed concern about the activities of illegal land developers and said District Assemblies have been reluctant to deal with the problem.
"Assemblies see the problems which illegal developers create and yet they are slow to act".
He said now that the Unit Committees are in place, District Assemblies should give the Committees the area plans of the various neighbourhoods.
The Unit Committees should be shown where the open spaces are, where the proposed schools, markets and other community amenities are supposed to be.
"In other words, empower the Unit Committees. Then let us see which developer will dare encroach on these public facilities and public rights of way, or block streams and invade protected areas," the President said.
President Rawlings said the Institute would also train the elected and appointed members of District Assemblies, Sub-District and Unit Committees.
He said many members are unaware of their powers, rights and obligations, and some do not know when they are exceeding their power.
President Rawlings expressed satisfaction at the "support and networking" relationship existing between the institute and the Institute of Housing and Urban Development in Rotterdam and Maastrich School of Management, both in Holland.
He suggested that the services of the Institute be extended to other countries in the sub-region as well as the rest of Africa to enhance linkages and partnership for good governance.
Linkages could also be established with the Commonwealth Local Government Forum and the International Union of Local Authorities for experience and knowledge sharing on local government and good practice.
Mr Kwamena Ahwoi, Minister of Local Government and Rural Development, said the World Bank provided credit to supplement budget allocations by the government for the construction of the institute as well as renovation of the old buildings of the Local Government Training School at Tamale.
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Andrew Young urges Ghana Airways to fly to Atlanta
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 May '99
The Mayor of Atlanta, Georgia, in the United States, Mr Andrew Young, has urged Ghana Airways to include Atlanta in its planned flight operations to other US cities.
He said Atlanta Airport being one of the biggest and busiest in the US could be linked directly with Kotoka International Airport through Ghana Airways.
Mr Young said this at the weekend at the commissioning of the refurbished "Nyante-Yie" transit lounge at the Kotoka International Airport by Ghana Airways for its first class and business class passengers.
He said there are about 2,500 flights to and from Atlanta a year bringing in revenue of about 10 billion dollars and could be a gateway for US investors to Ghana.
Mr Young said Ghana Airways could take advantage of the 73.5 million passenger a year through Atlanta to extend its operations to the city adding that this could bring tourists, conventions and conferences to Accra.
Mr Andrew Young who was in the country to attend the fifth African-African American summit said nothing leads to the development of a country faster than an airport citing the example of Atlanta.
Mr Emmanuel Quartey, Chief Executive of Ghana Airways, praised Mr Young for the role he played in bringing peace to most African countries during his tenure of office as US Ambassador to United Nations.
He said with Mr Young's experience in the airline business, especially as a board member of Delta Airlines, Ghana Airways could capitalise on their relations with him to link up the two airlines to co-operate in their operations.
Mr Quartey noted that Ghana Airways is already co-operating with South Africa and Ethiopia Airlines as part of its expansion drive and in line with government's gate way programme of making Kotoka International Airport a hub in the sub-region.
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Kumasi (Asahnti Region) 25 May '99
Mr Akwasi Mensah, a 63-year-old farmer of Ayanfuri, near Dunkwa, has appealed to the police to speed up investigations into the drowning of his son in a surface mining pit.
Mr Mensah, who spoke to the Ghana News Agency on Monday, in Kumasi, said his son, Master Alfred Arthur, a junior secondary school student got drowned in the pit, dug by the Ashanti Goldfields Company (AGC), on May four.
According to Mr Mensah, an AGC rescue team from Obuasi retrieved the body from the pit and that it has been deposited at the Dunkwa Government hospital mortuary.
He said the incident has been reported to the Police, who are yet to take any action.
Mr Mensah said many "unprotected pits", dug by the AGC for its surface mining operations in the area, are filled with water, and have are posing danger.
He attributed his son's death to the negligence of AGC and hoped the Police would speed up their investigations into the incident.
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Twin-city relations ideal for African development -Moore
Kumasi (Ashanti Region) 25 May '99
Twin-city relations between Africa and developed countries is the best way to bring development to African, Mr Walter Moore, Mayor of the City of Pontiac, Michigan, in the United States, said in Kumasi on Monday.
Mayor Moore, a participant in the just-ended Fifth African- African American Summit held in Accra, said "the best way to bring development and changes in the field of health, education, agriculture and commerce in Africa is through twin-city relations with their counterparts in the developed countries".
Addressing the Kumasi Metropolitan Assembly (KMA) and members of staff of the assembly, he said negotiations are underway to establish a relationship between the KMA and the city of Pontiac within the next six months.
Mayor Moore said it is under a similar relationship that Pontiac is mobilising 30,000 dollars to put up educational infrastructure for the chiefs and people of Nkawie, in the Atwima district of Ashanti.
Mayor Moore said the pledge was made after a meeting with Nana Twum Barima Appau, Chief of Nkawie, and his elders at Nkawie.
Mayor Moore said the city of Pontiac has established relations with cities in Canada, Mexico and Japan bordering on educational and cultural exchange programmes, adding "a relationship with a city of Japan has been in existence for the past 20 years".
Nana Akwasi Agyemang, Kumasi Metropolitan Chief Executive, said he hoped that the relationship would be fruitful, as with other cities.
When the negotiations are completed, the city of Pontiac would be the fourth city to have twin-city relations with the KMA.
The other cities are Charlotte City and Newark, both in the United States, and Almere in Holland.
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Chainsaw operators invade Klaw forest
Klaw (Northern Region) 25 May '99
The East Gonja District Assembly has banned chainsaw operators from cutting trees in the Klaw forest to save it from further destruction.
Mr Jerry Draman Jackson, District Chief Executive and Alhaji Hamid Baba Braimah, Member of Parliament (MP) for Salaga gave the order following reports of indiscriminate felling of trees in the forest.
Alhaji Braimah said the operators have taken advantage of the thick vegetation cover and the fact that the place is not easily accessible, to cut down every type of tree.
He warned that the law enforcement agencies have been empowered to arrest and prosecute anybody found felling trees in the forest.
Alhaji Braimah advised the chiefs not to connive with the chainsaw operators for monetary gains, since the destruction of the vegetation would have far reaching consequences.
Alhaji Braimah's visit formed part of a tour of 36 communities in the Klaw and Kpalba area.
He donated 1,007 dual desks, bought with his share of the MP's Common Fund and valued at 27.5 million cedis to 11 schools in the area.
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NDC denies fight over late MP's car
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 May '99
The National Democratic Congress (NDC) has denied a report by an Accra newspaper, "Free Press" that the party attempted to confiscate the car of the late Luke Koo, MP for Lambussie.
A statement in Accra signed by the NDC National Press Secretary, Mr Vincent Asiseh, said on Monday that if the report was meant to whip up public sentiment and to cause disaffection towards the NDC in the forthcoming bye-election in the constituency then it is "obviously a cheap shot".
"To concoct such a spurious story, days before the by-election, portrays mischief on the part of the paper".
The statement said, when the issue was raised by Mr Jacob Boon, District Chief Executive for Jirapa Lambussie, the MP for Avenor, Mr Doe Adjaho, who stood in for the Speaker of Parliament gave the assurance that the car remains the property of the late MP.
The statement quoted, Mr James Adusei-Sarkodie, NPP MP for Atwima Nwabiagya who was present at the meeting, as saying "the story cannot be true because Mr Adjaho has no power to confiscate anybody's car".
The NDC statement advised the public, particularly the electorate in the constituency, to ignore the story "as some worthless piece of political buffoonery" and assured the family of the late Luke Koo that the party is people oriented.
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Africa women adopt Zanzibar Declaration
Accra (Greater Accra) 25 May '99
Women in Africa have condemned the arms trade that fuels conflicts, wars and jeopardise development on the continent.
This was contained in a declaration adopted at the end of a conference on peace and non-violence in Zanzibar, reports a GNA special corespondent.
They appealed to African governments and parliaments to reduce military expenditures and to re-channel these resources into development.
The conference, aimed at strengthening partnership among women leaders, activists, researchers and communicators towards a common strategy for peace, brought together more than 300 women from all over the continent and UN representatives.
It was organised by UNESCO, OAU, the Tanzanian government and some NGOs under the theme "Women Organise for Peace and non-violence in Africa".
The women called on African governments to "serve for peace" and appealed to donor countries to impose sanctions on countries trading in arms.
The women committed themselves to work with governments to establish peace as the pillar of education and socialisation and to include conflict resolution and peace negotiations in the curricula at all levels of formal and non-formal education.
"We African women condemn the use of African children as soldiers and commit ourselves to an advocacy role to re-socialize these children, protect and involve them in efforts for peace and development".
The declaration invited governments, the international community and civil society to contribute towards capacity building for African women to enable them to organise into a movement to negotiate, reconcile, sensitise and mobilise the continent for conflict prevention, resolution and transformation.
The women also advocated for access to appropriate communication tools and technology that will strengthen networking and solidarity among them.
They called for the establishment of a Pan-African radio service on issues of women and peace.
While committing their time, energies, skills and talents to reconstructing peace in their homes, communities and nations, they called on international organisations, governments, NGOs and people to recognise and support their peace making efforts.
Dr. Specioza W. Kazibwe, Vice-President of Uganda, said the women would work to harness the continent's human and material resources for development.
They will advocate and work out strategies for the effective participation of women in all areas of decision-making especially those relating to peace, to ensure timely and appropriate interventions.
Dr. Kazibwe charged the women to take up the challenge of defeating policies of exclusion based on racial, religious, gender and ethnicity.
Mrs. Gertrude Mongella, the conference chairperson commended the participants for their "rich contribution" towards the adoption of strategies to achieve peace.
She said the activities of the women would include meetings at both national and regional levels, mobilisation of funds and resources, dialogue to sensitise all stakeholders.
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