President Akufo-Addo has revealed how much the government spent on the refurbished Trade Union Congress Hall.
The President today October 13, 2020, commissioned the refurbished Trade Union Congress Hall in Accra.
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"In the post-independence era, organized labour has played a very important role in the development of our country. In the run-up to the 2016 elections as part of several stakeholder engagements I held, I was here when I met the leadership of the TUC and outlined my vision to them if I am elected President. The Akufo-Addo government recognizes the effort the TUC has made to the development of the State and that is why when the government received the request from TUC to assist in refurbishing the hall we did not hesitate. I have been told by the Minister for Finance Ken Ofori Atta that government's contribution to this was Twelve Million Seven Hundred thousand Cedis"
The TUC building before the refurbishment had seen no renovation since it was constructed nearly six decades ago.
Ghana’s first President, Dr Kwame Nkrumah, constructed the six-storey edifice in 1960 and handed over to the TUC.
But the building, designated as the Hall of Trade Unions, which houses over 20 labour unions, had been deprived of maintenance over the years, suffering from cracks and haphazard wiring and piping.
Government said their support for the renovation works formed part of its efforts to deepen the social partnership pact signed this year with organised labour.
Mr Kenneth Andoh, the Project Manager in 2019 said the building had been modernised to include facilities such as audio-visuals, access control, internet facility, CCTV cameras and firefighting equipment.
Apart from replacing all the 162 air conditioners with new ones, he said a power room had been created to take care of metres and cabling while piping fixed and new sanitary equipment installed to give the edifice fresh outlook.
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) of Ghana is the main umbrella organization for trade union activities in Ghana:
It is made up of eighteen affiliated national unions. These are autonomous bodies which pursue their own activities but within the frame-work of their constitutions and their areas of legally accepted jurisdiction.