On Tuesday, May 9, 2023, the Ghana Trades Union Congress (TUC) will join the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union (GMWU) in a major demonstration against the Chinese company Sunon Asogli Power Ghana, which they accuse of violating the rights of their employees.
This comes after an organisation-issued deadline passed for the firm to reinstate employees whose contracts were allegedly terminated because of their involvement in the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union.
At the 2023 May Day celebrations, TUC Secretary General Dr. Yaw Baah announced plans to take the first action in solidarity against the Chinese enterprise, notifying the police in Tema.
“All union members in Tema and Accra should get ready for action on the 9th of May, 2023. We will let them know that they cannot come from China to tell us what to do in our own country.” Dr. Yaw Baah said
However, he pleaded with President Akufo-Addo to step in and prevent labour unrest.
Togbe Afede XIV, co-founder of Sunon Asogli and Agbogbomefia of Asogli, recently indicated to the union his preparedness to engage the company with the view of finding a more permanent solution to the matter, according to Abdul-Moomin Gbana, general secretary of the Ghana Mineworkers Union, in an interview on BusinessLive on the JoyNews Channel.
Mr. Gbana claims that, based on their conversations, he has learned that Togbe Afede XIV will get back to him by Monday, May 8, 12023, at the latest, in hopes of finding a peaceful resolution to the situation and preventing the scheduled demonstration.
On the other hand, in a news release issued on May 4, 2023, the GMWU criticised a statement issued by the corporation titled “Sunon Asogli’s position on Matters Relating to Unionisation” for including “factual inaccuracies, misrepresentations, and fabrications.”
The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union announced that it, along with Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited’s employees, had completed the required legal procedures to obtain a Collective Bargaining Certificate, allowing the union to represent and bargain with the firm on behalf of the employees.
The statement reads, “At every material time during the unionization process, the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union did not only adopt the procedure and approach required by the law, but it also worked collaboratively with regulatory institutions of the state including the Labour Department of Ghana.”
The Ghana Mineworkers Union and the TUC have made it clear that they will not stand for employers that violate their members’ rights and freedoms.
