President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo
Some members of the Maritime and Dock Workers Union (MDU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) are heading to court to stop a retired staff of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA), from vacating his retirement to become Chairman of the Maritime and Dock Workers Union (MDU).
But while Isaac Klu and Felix Nartey, alias Ashaiman, pursue due process at the court, they are calling on President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to prevent Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Baidoo, from becoming a "parasite" from retirement.
“We are calling on President Akufo-Addo and his high office to end this parasitic behaviour of this man who duly retired and took his benefits in 2021, but somehow thinks that he can suddenly vacate his retirement and return to active service as if the MDU is a family business,” Isaac Klu said in an interview with journalists at the Asian Hotel in Tema.
His colleague, Felix Nartey adds, “This move is not only selfish but a slap in the face of the law and an insult to the entitlement of young Ghanaians, including unemployed graduates, to get employment.”
Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Baidoo, the man at the centre of the controversy is said to have retired from the GPHA in 2002 and later joined the Ghana Dock Labour Company in Tema.
He later became a Senior Staff of the Ghana Dock Labour Company and chairman of the Maritime and Dock Workers Union (MDU).
Before he retired from the MDU, he was said to have duly applied for his accumulated leave and had a total of 52 working days approved for him as leave along with leave entitlement that kicked in with effect from 18th March 2021 to 6th May 2021.
Following this, he was deemed to have duly retired from the MDU. It is worth noting that Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Baidoo is also a past Chairman of the MDU.
Despite all these, he is now lobbying to be made Chairman of the MDU again, even though he retired from the MDU.
The two GPHA workers protesting this attempt by Alhaji Abdul-Rahman Baidoo, to return to the Chairmanship of a workers’ Union after betraying his colleagues at the GPHA, called on the Secretary General of the TUC to intervene as well.
“We are also urging Dr. Anthony Baah, General Secretary of the TUC to call this old man who wants to turn due process on its head to order before he sets a taboo as precedent,” Isaac Klu said to thunderous applause from journalists.
