The General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers’ Union (ICU), Ghana, Mr. Morgan Ayawine, has urged Ghanaian workers to recommit themselves to productivity, discipline and national development as the country enters the New Year 2026.
In his New Year message to ICU members and workers across the country, Mr. Ayawine said workers must “not rest on our oars” but instead work diligently to boost productivity at the enterprise level, describing it as a key requirement for economic growth and national development.
“As workers and contributors to nation-building, we are called upon to work diligently toward increased productivity at the enterprise level, which remains a prerequisite for economic growth and national development,” he stated.
Mr. Ayawine emphasised the need for strong work ethics, noting that the current economic climate demands greater commitment from workers to support national progress. He urged workers to set aside attitudes that undermine economic advancement and actively support government initiatives.
“Now more than ever, there is an urgent need to consolidate strong work ethics to support rapid economic growth and national progress,” he said. “Workers must shed all prejudices that hinder economic advancement and engage wholeheartedly in advancing the government’s reset agenda.”
The ICU General Secretary also appealed to employers to foster healthy industrial relations by creating worker-friendly environments that promote peace and harmony at the workplace.
“We urge employers to create employee-friendly working environments that promote industrial peace and harmony, ensuring the sustainability and continuous growth of organisations for our mutual benefit,” he added.
Touching on the role of government, Mr. Ayawine called for the formulation of “practical and workable economic policies” aimed at stimulating business and industrial growth, warning that unemployment levels in the country are becoming increasingly worrying.
“Government must put in place economic policies and interventions that promote business and industrial growth in order to address the unemployment situation, which is assuming alarming proportions,” he noted.
He acknowledged the positive economic atmosphere created under the government’s reset agenda but stressed that it must be sustained through concrete actions that improve the living standards of Ghanaians.
“The positive atmosphere government has created through its economic recovery efforts must be sustained through the practical application of sound socio-economic policies that will lead to an improved standard of living for the generality of Ghanaians,” he said.
Mr. Ayawine also raised concerns about discussions surrounding private sector participation in the Electricity Company of Ghana (ECG), cautioning against the outright sale of the power distributor.
“As an essential public entity serving a wide spectrum of the Ghanaian populace, government must exercise caution and avoid the outright sale of ECG, while maintaining it as one of the nation’s most vital and indispensable assets,” he stressed.
He concluded by rallying workers to support Ghana’s economic journey in the year ahead. “I welcome Ghanaian workers once again and urge everyone to come on board Ghana’s economic train for a safe, smooth and successful journey throughout 2026,” he said.
Please read full statement ICU NEW YEAR MESSAGE – 2026 PDF.
