Fairtrade Premium Committee(FPC), a global movement which addresses the injustices of conventional trade by supporting small holder farmers and workers in plantations, has opened a creche facility for female workers of Golden Exotic Limited (GEL), Ghana’s largest exporter of Banana at Kasunya in the Shai-Osudoku area of the Greater Accra Region.

The inauguration is not only a fulfilment of a promise made to the workers but also fulfills an important tenet of the charter of GEL’s parent company, Compagnie Fruitiere.

It also fulfills GELs gender equity policy which aims to provide a congenial atmosphere at the workplace for all women.

The event, which was organized to coincide with International Women’s Day also marks a call to action to accelerate women’s equality in all spheres of human endeavor.

The GEL Fairtrade Officer, Mr. George Kporye in his address said the facility would give the workers peace of mind knowing that their children would be well taken care of whilst they are at work.

He said facilities in the creche include three spacious classrooms with modern teaching aids, washrooms, a sick bay and a breastfeeding room. It also includes teachers and nurses restrooms, headmistress office and a visitor’s waiting room, with an outdoor canteen to be added later this year.

The FPC has also provided a 30- seater bus exclusively for the use of the creche which will bring the mothers from their workplaces during break to the creche to feed their children and return them quickly to work.

He said recruitment of staff to man the facility is ongoing and should be completed soon for children to start school in May after all training, certifications and approvals have been done.

In his keynote address, the Managing Director of GEL, Mr. Benedict John Rich said an educationist has been recruited who shall be responsible for the daily running of the facility,  three trained teachers in childhood education and three class attendants for the respective classes.

According to him, in 2017, GEL commissioned research into finding out the reasons for the low numbers of women employed in GEL.

Following the research, he said policies were developed to improve conditions of engagement and of work particularly for women after a consultative meeting.

He expressed confidence that the FPC would continue to apply the premium resources to similar projects in the future to enhance the general welfare and economic well- being of all GEL workers.

In a solidarity message, the Municipal Chief Executive for Shai-Osudoku, Hon. Fred Offei said the inauguration of the facility provides a significant opportunity for the women folk who would essentially remain in the organization and have access to reliable childcare for the business to benefit from a workforce that is focused, engaged and productive.

He said by providing access to childcare solutions, employers would eliminate a major source of stress, worry and distraction for their employees.

Around the globe, he said the lack of quality childcare has continued to be a major barrier to allowing parents, particularly women, to participate fully in the workforce.

He appreciated the effort of FPC at making childcare an important part of their employee effectiveness strategies