Accra: The leadership of the Industrial and Commercial Workers' Union (ICU), Ghana has commended the government for the reactivation of the PBC Shea Limited Factory in the Savanna Region of the country. The Union said the government's step to revive the PBC Shea Limited factory gave ICU-Ghana hope that other struggling industries would equally attract prompt attention towards sustainable job opportunities in the country.
According to Ghana News Agency, this was a statement signed by Mr. Morgan Ayawine, the General Secretary, ICU-Ghana, issued to the agency. 'The initiative is very much welcomed, but it is important the government walk its talk by ensuring adequate funding for the company in good time,' it said. The statement urged management and workers at the PBC Shea Limited factory to keep the momentum in the production process so that more investors could come on board to expand the operations of the factory.
The statement continued, 'We must point out that readily available raw material plays a critical role in sustaining production in industries. It is in this regard that ICU-Ghana urges the Government to go to all lengths to ensure a sustainable supply of raw material (shea nuts) to the PBC Shea Limited Factory. Issues of shortage of raw materials should be consigned to the past if we are to reap the full benefits from the revival of the PBC Shea Limited factory,' he said.
The statement called on the government to initiate another bold move to get the needed funding for the PBC PLC (the mother company) to purchase cocoa beans in the upcoming major cocoa season. 'We are of the firm belief that PBC Plc, with its outlets strategically located across the length and breadth of the country, when adequately funded, has the capacity to create more jobs for Ghanaians,' it said.
The statement said PBC Plc's contribution to Ghana's infrastructural development in its heyday should tell us what it could still do when supported to bounce back into the business of buying cocoa beans. As a union, the statement said it would not relent in its collaboration with social partners in creating sustainable job openings to absorb the teeming young citizens. It said the young people deserved better employment opportunities to contribute their quota to Ghana's development agenda.
'We hope to see many more such ventures like the PBC Shea Limited Factory and Allied Companies within the cocoa industry in the country getting the required funding support in the coming months. The statement urged workers to be good stewards in their various workplaces and help preserve the institutions and industries in the country. That, it explained, was important because their expansion would have multiplier effects in ensuring better job opportunities and be a game changer in employment generation in the country.
