Tema-Ghana, June 21, GNA – The Sunon Asogli Staff Association (SASA) has called for calm among the rank and file to ensure that work progresses while stakeholders make efforts to address the protracted disputes with the Ghana Mines Workers Union (GMWU).
Mr. Benard Ababio, SASA General Secretary, made the call at a News conference in Tema, stressing that as an essential service provider, “workers and management need a conducive environment to work.
“We are therefore calling on workers to calm down, as the effort to address the issues of unionization and dismissed colleagues is addressed through dialogue… No matter what, the only option to address the impasse is dialogue”.
Mr. Ababio, supported by Mr. Albert Kofi Nutakor, SASA Chairman, stressed that Sunon Asogli Power Plant was quite young and the formation of union issues was new terrain for all the employees, most of whom had never been part of any union before.
He noted that “we are treading on new territory, so when this whole Union thing came in, the sort of friendship and bond that employees and colleagues had changed.
“Some have wrong notions about the intent of the union and consider those who are not part of it as against it, saying, this is a wrong approach that is gradually affecting the progress of work at the plant”.
The SASA General Secretary noted: “We all sympathize and share the concern of our colleagues who were dismissed, but we cannot use an antagonistic approach to get management to reinstate them. We need to jaw-jaw and not war-war to resolve the crises”.
Mr. Ababio added that the situation was to a large extent affecting productivity as mentorship and training offered by some senior staff to junior workers were on the decline.
“Personally, I have talked to my own colleagues and raised this issue, and the association will continue to explore all means to ensure industrial peace and create a just society for all workers.
He added that although the association had not yet engaged the Ghana Mine Workers Union of the TUC on the impact of their actions on the workers of Asogli, it was taking steps to have a fruitful meeting with them soon.
Mr. Ababio added that the course for which the mine workers were fighting was the same that the internal association was also fighting for, even if the approaches were not the same.
Mr. Nutakor also appealed to all stakeholders to work towards a peaceful settlement of the challenge immediately: “Sunon Asogli staff are not at war with management or any other body.
“Workers are not fighting against each other; we are working for the best interest of all; our services are essential within the national power distribution network; and we will continue to ensure that we address this bottleneck, foster understanding and dialogue, and collaborate to address every operational, welfare, and industrial dispute”.
The SASA Chairman said while recognizing and respecting the rights of employees to organize and advocate their interests, “we believe it is crucial to strike a balance that does not compromise the cordial work environment we have cultivated at Simon Asogli Power Ghana Limited over the years”.
He said SASA would at all times dialogue for the best interest of workers, management, and the nation, saying, “Long live Sunon Asogli Power Plant, Long Live Workers, and Long Live mother Ghana”.
