The Trades Union Congress (TUC) and the Ghana Mine Workers Union (GMWU) are leading a demonstration at Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited to call for the restoration of three local union leaders who were fired.
Additionally, the protest is meant to put an end to what the union terms "flagrant intervention, unfair labor practices, and disdain for oversight bodies on the part of the company's management.
Abdul-Moomin Gbana, General Secretary of the GMWU, stated during a press conference in Accra yesterday that the union made that choice after several unsuccessful attempts to address the matter amicably with the company's management.
Manifest yourself
Therefore, the union has urged its members to show up in their numbers and congregate today at 8 a.m. at the TUC Head Office in Accra to be transported to the protest site at Kpone.
Background
For context, Mr. Gbana stated that roughly 70 corporate employees decided to join the GMWU and underwent the required legal procedures to get a collective bargaining certificate that was lawfully given by the Chief Labour Officer.
This certificate gave the union the authority to speak for and bargain on behalf of the unionized workers with the employer.
However, he said that the corporation, through its attorney, sought to know the identities of the unionized workers in order to accept the certificate provided by the Labor Department.
According to Mr. Gbana, the National Labour Commission (NLC) resolved the matter. With the commission, on two occasions, declaring and ordering that the list of the workers was not pertinent at that point and that the certificate was duly and lawfully granted to GMWU, the corporation was required to begin discussions with the union.
"The firm and its solicitors ignored the commission's rulings without consequence and have since not replied to any contact from the union.
Mr. Gbana stated that the union wrote to the management in accordance with the GMWU Constitution and the Labour Act of 2003 (Act 651) based on the Commission's decision and under that Act.
The corporation, however, declined to accede to the request, alleging issues with the Collective Bargaining Certificate, a subject that, according to him, had been resolved by the NLC.
The GMWU General Secretary recalled that the union served a notice of intention to go on strike on the company and copied the NLC based on the company's apparent refusal to comply with the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), as well as its refusal to respond to any correspondence from the union or honor meetings scheduled by the NLC.
This was allegedly in response to management's actions, including the firing of three branch union leaders—the chairperson, assistant secretary, and union secretary—because they had joined a union and been elected to represent workers at the enterprise level.
"Again, I would want to emphasize that the impacted employees have not infringed any laws or corporate policies. According to the company's management, their sole transgression is that they chose to join a union of their choosing in order to further their social and economic interests.
Resolution
While acknowledging the Ministry of Employment and Labour Relations' assistance, Mr. Gbana said that requests to the company's management and the relevant authorities to facilitate the reinstatement of the three local union leaders had been ignored.
He continued by saying that the management has received several requests to stop intimidating union members and spreading fear and terror in the business and to prohibit the exploitation of employees' rights to join the union of their choice, which have been met with silence.
Therefore, he said, "we will use every available tool, including organizing protest marches, picket lines, and nationwide strikes, to demand the reinstatement of the three local union leaders who were fired."
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