Local Textile workers have put on hold, their planned protest over pirated goods which was slated for today.
According to the textile workers, the move has been prompted by the Ministry’s readiness to engage them in addressing their concerns.
But the Chairman of the Concerned Workers of the Textile Industry, Ebenezer Asumadu on Wednesday told Citi Business News a scheduled meeting with the trade minister is expected to settle the issue amicably.
“We had a letter from the ministry indicating that the minister is prepared to meet us to discuss the issues we raised concerning the textiles industry. So we decided to postpone the intended demonstration and meet the minister first.”
He added, “The problem we have concerns the industry so if the sector minister is prepared to sit us down for us to iron it then what is the meaning of us going to demonstrate? With the Ministry’s preparedness to meet with us, we have to accept it and look at the way forward.”
The local textile workers on Tuesday had expressed their displeasure over what they say is the Trade Ministry’s inability to stop the smuggling of pirated goods onto the local markets.
The workers which comprise staff of GTP, ATL and Printex argued that their respective companies have been rendered uncompetitive due to the smuggling of pirated goods onto the local markets.
The textile workers among others blamed the task force for failing to rid the market of pirated products.
Earlier the Deputy Communications Manager at the Trades Ministry, Nasir Ahmed Yartey says the Ministry is developing new ideas to eliminate the pirated goods on the local market.
“The issue of the piracy is what we are fighting through the task force and members of the textiles industry form the bulk of the membership of this task force. They know the industry, they know what people are doing to harm the industry so it is their expertise that the ministry relies on to try to fight this menace and so we are working with them.”
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(Via: CitiFM Online Ghana)
