GPHA boss again; scuttles local union elections

The Richard Anamoo-led management of the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) is bent on imposing its preferred candidates to serve on the executive body of the workers union against wise counsel, Today’s investigations have established.

This paper gathered that, the GPHA Boss, Mr. Anamoo, has suspended the Takoradi Union election which was originally slated for Friday, July 24, 2015 to elect union leaders to steer affairs over a four-year-period.

The move, according to the workers, is a prelude to a well-oiled plan to ensure only candidates deemed to be in the good books of the management get elected to lead the powerful workers’ union.

The plan, they noted, is a strategy to frustrate candidates considered as a threat to the ambition of current executive members said to have a cozy relationship with the Anamoo-led management.

The workers, acting on the advice of their mother union, the Maritime Dockworkers Union (MDU) of TUC, drew up an election timetable and accordingly fixed separate dates for the conduct of the elections for the two branches, Takoradi and Tema.

Takoradi election was to take place on July 24, 2015 and August 25, 2015 for Tema Local Union elections.

With indications pointing to a wholesale defeat for the incumbent executives after the workers vowed to sweep away what has become known as “Anamoo boys and girls” executives, the D-G took a unilateral decision to call off the elections barely 24 hours to the polls, much to the disappointment of the staff.

A letter dated July 23, 2015 and signed by the Director of Ports, Takoradi, Capt. James Owusu -Koranteng on behalf of the Director General (D-G) which copy, Today intercepted, ordered for the suspension of the Takoradi union elections.

“Following the letter written to the General Secretary of MDU and the declaration by the Director General at the recently held durbar, requesting for a common date to be fixed by the unions for this year’s union general elections for both Tema and Takoradi ports.

…Kindly be advised that Takoradi port on its own is not a legal entity and that its union has no Collective Bargaining Agreement(CBA) Please note there is only one CBA covering the entirety of GPHA.” The letter read in part.

“Management therefore is awaiting for a date to be fixed by the GPHA unions for simultaneous elections to be held in both Tema and Takoradi Ports”, it continued.

The move, Today gathered, is a potential for conflict between the workers on one side and the management as well as union leaders on the other side.

Already deep throat sources have disclosed that the Anamoo led-management has started harassing and intimidating workers, especially those who have taken a stance against attempts to foist a leadership on them.

This is allegedly intended to cow them to beat a fast retreat on the subject of ditching the current executives.

“We cannot also rule out a court action because what is playing out is a clear case of usurpation and victimization,” the sources intimated and vowed that the workers will fight management tooth and nail until it reverses its “unilateral decision.”

Today learnt that, the highly agitated workers were gearing up to pass a vote of no confidence in the executive to pave way for the conduct of the elections.

The possibility of embarking on a strike till management stayed off the elections is also being discussed currently.

Last week this paper reported about tension brewing at the GPHA over an alleged usurpation of powers and interference by the Richard Anamoo led-management in the affairs of the local unions.

The situation, instead of simmering down, has rather exacerbated with tension reaching the boiling point.

The development does not bode well for general business activity at the Tema and Takoradi ports, according to the workers, who have therefore appealed to the appointing authority to call the Director General to order lest he plunges the GPHA into chaos.