The Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), will soon embark on a nationwide exercise to register new members.
This is after the Trade Union Congress (TUC) today [Friday], issued a unionized certificate to the GJA, 60 years after the association was formed.
Speaking at a ceremony to receive the certificate, the GJA President, Affail Money, said the Association would use its new bargaining power to improve the working conditions of journalists, and not to attack employers.
“Unionized employees make an average of 30 percent more pay than non-unionized workers. 92 percent of unionized workers have health-related coverage. Union workers also enjoy guaranteed pensions. These facts and much more contrast sharply with the general conditions of media workers in Ghana,” he observed.
Some workers in media are known to be poorly paid, as Mr. Money pointed out.
Workers of the New Times Corporation, producers of the Ghanaian Times Newspaper, recently demonstrated against their management for better conditions of service.
However, Mr. Money said this “pitiable, ignoble and horrible narrative will be consigned to the dustbin of history as the GJA has been legally empowered to fight for the industrial and professional rights of media workers in Ghana.”
In this light, the GJA will be rolling out “an immediate, massive and expansive drive to register all non-union media workers in Ghana, especially those in the private sector.”
“All media workers must maximize this unique window of opportunity to register. All GJA regional executives must facilitate this bold venture,” Mr. Money added.
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By: Anass Seidu/citifmonline.com/Ghana