By Konrad Kodjo DJAISI
Leadership and members of the Trades Union Congress, on the occasion of International Women’s Day which fell on March 8, used the occasion to congratulate all women across the world, particularly in Ghana, for their immense contribution towards building a just and equitable society.
The TUC notes that the Day offers the opportunity to reflect on progress made and acknowledge the extraordinary contribution women have played throughout history. The theme for this year’s celebration was “Count Her In: Invest in Working Women, Accelerate progress: the role of the TUC”, and was observed at the TUC Workers’ Hall with sponsorship from the Friedrich Erbert Foundation (FES).
The TUC used the occasion to affirm its commitment to advancing the cause of women and used the occasion to call for the speedy passage of the Affirmative Action Bill currently in Parliament.
Secretary General of the TUC., Dr. Yaw Baah said women are the backbone of every society and that it is extremely important to invest in women. He observed that women make up the majority of the population in Ghana, and if we truly believe in the tenets of democracy, then it’s important to ensure women are truly represented and acknowledged.
He said at the next congress of the TUC, leadership will ensure that the Union adopts a gender equality policy and through that, all political parties must demonstrate their gender parity policy to gain the favour of the TUC.
He noted that it is important to invest in women to accelerate national development.
The German delegation that included members of the German Parliament, die Bundestag, were in attendance and they noted that even in the developed societies, gender equality is yet to be fully attained, therefore it is a global issue.
They emphasized the importance of empowering women to assume more leadership roles, asserting that gender equality cannot be achieved without such empowerment. They firmly stated that women’s rights are human rights that should be upheld without compromise.
Keynote speaker, Dr. Abena Asomaning said women’s participation in trades unions worldwide demonstrates their resilience in fighting for equal work for equal pay and play a vital role in fighting for better conditions of service worldwide.
She spoke highly of pace-setters like the former President of Liberia, Johnson Sirleaf, Nana Agyeman Konadu Rawlings for leading Ghana’s delegation to the Beijing Women’s conference and ensuring women’s participation in national life became topical and the current President of Ethiopia as role models to women and girls.
She spoke of the gender pay issue currently being championed by female Hollywood actors etc, as well as women’s paltry participation in leadership positions, especially in politics.
