Professor Naana Jane Opoku-Agyeman, Running-Mate of the NDC’s flagbearer John Dramani Mahama, has described the 24-hour economy as a thorough policy to give leverage to different categories of the population to enhance inclusiveness.
“We are not just saying anything, the 24-hour economy is a thought through proposal which will give leverage to all categories of the population especially women, the flexibility to work and enhance their careers”
At a policy dialogue with some female journalists in Accra, she emphasized that the straight jacket working schedules where everyone had to work within a certain time frame may not be favourable to women who aside their work had other domestic responsibilities to take care of.
The NDC Vice Presidential candidate met some female journalists from public and private media houses in a policy dialogue as part of ongoing meetings with professional and citizens groups to solicit inputs into the party’s 2024 manifesto.
Also at the meeting were Madam Akua Sena Dansua, former gender and sports minister, Nana Oye Bampoe, former Gender Minister, Madam Mavis Frimpong, former Eastern Regional Minister, and other party stalwarts.
Prof. Opoku-Agyeman, said the dynamics of women’s levels in the economy must be changed through deliberate policies and programmes to derive the maximum impact of their perspectives and charged female journalists to tell stories of women “on how they climbed and how they broke the glass ceilings.”
She explained that the NDC was determined to present a people’s manifesto that represented the aspirations of the people and commended female journalists for their contributions and sacrifices towards nation building.
Nana Oye Bampoe, a former Minister of State, said the meeting was historic and explained how the vice-presidential aspirant valued the role of female journalists in the scheme of affairs.
Dr Charity Binka, a veteran journalist and a gender advocate said even though there were quite a few females in the media space, they were faced with challenges which inhibited their progression to the top.
There are no gender policies in the media houses to address issues of sexual harassment and underrepresentation and urged the Vice Presidential Aspirant to prioritise welfare of female journalists in their manifesto.
She said women’s representation at the decision-making levels not only close the gender gap but also enriched policies with their unique perspectives.
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Meanwhile, the Colleges of Education Teachers Association of Ghana (CETAG), is continuing with its strike despite a directive from the National Labour Commission (NLC) to return to the negotiation table.
This directive came during a hearing on Thursday, June 20, 2024, where the Commission announced its decision to take legal action against the government to enforce the arbitral award orders in favour of CETAG. CETAG members have been on strike since Friday, June 14, 2024 due to the government’s delay in implementing the agreed arbitral award and negotiated service conditions.
The award includes the payment of an additional month’s salary for duties performed by CETAG members in 2022.
During the hearing, the NLC emphasised the urgency of resolving the matter and informed CETAG of its intention to take the government to court on June 26 to ensure compliance.
This legal action aims to enforce the Commission’s previous ruling and address the grievances of CETAG members. Labour Consultant Austin Garmey, speaking to the media after the NLC’s directive, acknowledged that CETAG’s concerns had been heard. He urged CETAG to consult with their advisors and make a decision in light of the NLC’s directive to call off the strike.
In an interview in Accra, CETAG President, Prince Obeng Himang, said they will meet with the Council and plan the way forward.
He maintained that meeting their demands is the only thing that would compel them to call off the strike.
