Tema-Ghana, June 11, CDA Consult – Industrialist Dr William Mensah-Ansah, who is located in Tema, has urged the Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC) to forge positive ties with the investor community so that the private sector players can be trusted to operate on an even playing field.
“Recent antagonistic actions and remarks made by Dr. Yaw Baah, TUC Secretary General, at the 11th International Labour Organisation Annual Conference currently taking place in Geneva, as well as during the May Day Celebration in Bolgatanga Ghana, may have sent the wrong message to prospective investors around the world.
Ironically, he stated that although the ILO conference aims to address a wide range of topics, including a just transition towards sustainable and inclusive economies, high-quality apprenticeships, and employment rights, “our TUC used the occasion to attack a local company.”
Dr. Mensah-Ansah spoke to newsmen in Tema over the weekend that such statements made on international stages mislead the investment community about the hostility that Organised Labour has towards investors.
“Ghana is increasingly becoming less friendly to investors; we cannot throw out the baby with the bathwater because of such pronouncements, particularly on international platforms. There are many internal avenues for resolving labour conflicts, according to Dr. Mensah-Ansah.
“Investors also demand the same, as well as protection and security of their investment,” said Dr. Mensah-Ansah. “Any threat or covert dealings from labour against management, especially in the private sector, sends a dangerous message to the investor community.”
The Tema Based Industrialist urged the TUC to abandon outdated adversarial battling tactics in favour of new diplomatic techniques of mediation.
He stated, “We are not defending or supporting management’s unethical labour practises, but we must be fair and sincere in our protection of workers without killing the goose that lays the golden eggs.”
“Ghana Mineworkers Union leadership and the general leadership of National Unions are not workers but depend on the dues paid by workers,” Dr. Mensah-Ansah urged the Sunon Asogli workforce in a separate appeal.
“The national union leaders are not impacted by the failure of Sunon Asogli or any other enterprise. If the shutdown occurs and the ground gets too perilous, the majority of you will lose your jobs. You cannot sit down and witness the ongoing attack on your management.
Ms. Juliet Okai, a banking consultant, added that labour and management must coexist peacefully and emphasised the need for contemporary labour involvement to promote positive connections between employees, hiring organisations, trade unions, and the government.
In order to create a prosperous business climate, Ms. Oaki emphasised the importance of strong ties between labour unions, the government, and investors, adding that this is the “way to attract investors that we need to grow the economy for the future; labour cannot scare investors away through constant agitation against private companies.”
The attitude of the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union (TUC), which has led to continuous confrontations with the management of Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited, worries Ms. Ramatu Ayisha, a communication expert.
She criticised the Ghana Mineworkers Union’s intentional interferences, threats, and intimidation strategies used to pressure management at Sunon Asogli Power to consent to the union’s creation.
“The union cannot use coercion to compel management to follow a procedure. We must communicate civilly rather than with one party holding a pistol to the other’s head, Ms. Ayisha said.
Management and unions were reminded by The Tema Based Communication Consult that whichever course of action “we embarked on jointly or individually, we must consider how it will affect the investor community, the interests of Ghanaian workers, and the broader work environment in the nation”.
The TUC has been urged to act in the best interests of both workers and investors by a group of workers in Tema, who claim that “labour unions will not have a large enough workforce to protect their interests in the absence of investors.”
Some employees in Tema expressed concern over the current deadlock between the management of Sunon Asogli Power Plant on the one side and the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union and TUC on the other.
Numerous employees in Tema, meantime, expressed their concern that “the formation of a union should not create a landmine at Sunon Asogli” due to the ongoing hostility between the TUC and management of Sunon Asogli Power Ghana Limited.
In the best interest of Mother Ghana and the employees of Sunon Asogli, other workers made appeals to the Ghana Mineworkers Union of TUC, as well as to the employees and management of Sunon Asogli, to change their hardened views.
