ICU’s Morgan Ayawine Calls for Revival of State Enterprises to Boost Jobs and Growth

The General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU-Ghana), Morgan Ayawine, has urged the government to revive distressed state-owned enterprises (SOEs) as a pathway to reducing unemployment and driving Ghana’s industrial growth.

Speaking at the opening of the ICU’s 12th Quadrennial Delegates’ Conference at the University of Professional Studies, Accra (UPSA), Mr. Ayawine described the three-day gathering as a turning point for the Union to “reflect, refocus, and renew” its commitment to workers and national development.

Since assuming office in August 2021, the ICU leader noted that the Union had rebuilt its membership base after the COVID-19 pandemic and successfully unionised senior staff of major institutions such as the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT), Cocoa Marketing Company, Quality Control Company, and the Bank Hospital.

He also highlighted legal victories, including securing bargaining rights at the Akosombo Industrial Company and winning compensation for wrongfully dismissed workers at SONO Ghana Ltd.

This year’s conference theme, “Enhancing Productivity at the Workplace: The Role of Social Partners,” reflects the ICU’s focus on empowering workers. Mr. Ayawine stressed that true productivity stems not only from capital investment but also from fair treatment, transparent promotions, and skills development. “True productivity arises when workers are empowered mentally, physically, and emotionally,” he said.

Calling for urgent interventions, Ayawine urged the government to revive struggling SOEs such as Neoplan Ghana, Cocoa Processing Company, ALUWORKS, PBC PLC, and Volta Star Textiles. He argued that their revitalisation would create sustainable jobs for Ghana’s youth and strengthen the economy.

The ICU has also strengthened its international ties with UNI Global Union, IndustriALL, and IUF, a development Ayawine said has boosted the Union’s global visibility and enriched its strategies. Looking ahead, he expressed optimism that the conference deliberations would produce a “master plan” to reposition ICU-Ghana for greater influence.

He thanked the government, employers, international allies, and especially ICU members and staff for their resilience, adding: “With the winds of positive economic change blowing across the country, we are poised for greater accomplishments.”

Mr. Ayawine also paid tribute to two of the Union’s past leaders, the late B.T. Bartimaeus, ICU’s founding General Secretary in 1960, and Napoleon D.K. Kpoh, who served from 1991 to 2007 and oversaw the establishment of the ICU House in Kokomlemle, Accra. He described them as “fallen giants” whose legacies continue to inspire the Union’s work.