Pirated textiles targeted for destruction

Mr Abraham Koomson, General Secretary of the Textile Workers Union, announced on Thursday that the textiles companies in collaboration with the security agencies have stepped up the network to arrest and destroy all pirated fabrics.

“As a starter, about 300 pieces of pirated textiles seized from markets and warehouses will be burnt on Friday, October 1, while other consignments will be burnt within the month.”

Mr Koomson who was briefing the Ghana News Agency in Accra on the level of piracy of textiles in the country, said through the support of the Ghana Police Service and Customs, Excise and Preventive Service the companies have been able to seize almost 1,000 pieces of the pirated designs.

“We are going to burn the textiles in stages, until it is finished,” he stressed.

The General Secretary expressed fear that if the piracy is not checked, more than 3,000 workers could be laid off from the textile companies and called on workers and dealers in the commodity to be vigilant to help reverse the situation.

He said few years back, more than 20,000 workers in the textile industries had lost their jobs and hence the need to fight the bad practice.

Mr Koomson said apart from evading tax, the pirating of textiles lead to the flooding of the Ghanaian market with cheap and inferior fabrics to the detriment of high quality textiles from the Ghanaian companies.

Source: GNA