Two unions fight to represent 4,000 workers
Two unions in Tema are contesting each other’s right to represent more than 4,000 workers in the sector. The Maritime and Dock Workers Union (MDU), which currently holds the collective bargaining certificate (CBA) for workers in the sector, is being challenged by the National Union of Harbour Employees (NUHEM) for the mandate to represent the workers.
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The challenge started in 2011 when NUHEM presented a list of workers belonging to its union to the Labour Department. However, the MDU challenged the list as containing ‘ghost’ and fictitious identities and referred the matter to the court for redress.
NUHEM applied to the Tema High Court B for an order to the Labour Department to verify the membership of workers at the Ghana Dock Labour Company (GDLC) and report back to the court.
Labour department
The Chief Labour Officer, Mr Eugene Narh Korletey, confirmed to the Daily Graphic that the verification exercise had taken place and emphasised the freedom of association provided for by Ghana’s Labour Act 2003 to all workers.
He said his officers had conducted the exercise at the GDLC to determine whether the MDU or NUHEM should have the bargaining certificate to represent dock and maritime workers.
He added that the 1992 Constitution, as well as the International Labour Organisation’s (ILO’s) Convention 87 and 98, underpinned the freedom of association for workers.
However, within national and international frameworks provided to freely associate, Legislative Instrument 1833 (L.I. 1833) provided for the verification of the union, with the majority of members to possess the mandate to represent workers in all collective bargaining processes.
Mr Korletey explained that the results of the exercise would be authenticated and endorsed by the labour officer supervising the exercise.
Subsequently, a report on the proceedings would be prepared, based on which the union with the majority of members would be declared and given the CBA to represent the workers.
He further explained that if one of the unions already had the CBA and it was found through the verification process that that union did not have majority of the members, the CBA would be revoked or withdrawn and re-issued to the union with the majority membership.
MDU
The General Secretary of the MDU, Mr Daniel Owusu Koranteng, when contacted, said the union had referred some issues relating to the matter to the court and that the verification process would be contemptuous if carried out.
“The MDU had thus written to the Labour Department to defer the exercise until the conclusion of the case,” he said, adding that the union was contesting the list of members provided by the NUHEM.
NUHEM
The General Secretary of NUHEM, Mr James Jebuni, for his part, said the verification exercise was by the order of the Tema High Court B.
