Industrial Actions Hit Tema

Two simultaneous industrial actions erupted at Tema on Monday, this week threatening the very labour foundation of the port and industrial city.

About 500 workers of the Nestle Factory blocked the entrance to the factory which gate was padlocked by the red-arm clad employees.

After erecting a canopy which served as a shade for the enthusiastic Nestle workers, they provided spinning equipment that delivered melodious music.

To make up for any exhaustion, one of the company's vans was stuffed with food, beverages and water to signify their endurance for the number of days that the strike action would travel.

Information gathered has it that management and the local Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) have been engaged in Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

Having sat for 16 times without any agreement, the Managing Director decided to 'untie' the Gordian knot.

A union executive, Nana Tibu, told our reporter that as negotiations began sometime ago for new wages, management anchored at 21 per cent pay increase, while the union dropped from 35 to 30 per cent.

Amazingly, on Thursday, July 4, the Managing Director, Andrea Porche, reportedly went to paste a supposed agreed Collective Bargaining Agreement on the notice board for public consumption.

According to Nana Tibu, who is the local ICU chairman, the senior staff reportedly accepted the 21 per cent pay increase but the junior workers wanted some embodiments in their CBA.

They accused the managing director of imposing a CBA on them.

Some of the workers who allegedly were casuals for about 14 years claimed that management members brought in relatives from outside to employ them as permanents against their cry.

Two of them, Tettevi and Nelsome, who spoke against the injustice, were sacked.

The factory manager, David Hekezu, who was reached from outside, told reporters that he could not guarantee his security at the factory. This was in answer to a question why he was not at the factory.

The Union executives and the Ghana Employers Association were at a meeting at the time of going to press.

In a related issue, the PSC Tema Shipyard had its problem from Thursday when the British Managing Director, Shanzan Abdullay, left the country unceremoniously.

On Monday, July 8, this year the workers laid down their tools and called on the Ghana government to abrogate management contract it entered with the Malaysians who command 60 per cent shares in the shipyard.

As early as 6:30 am, the drydockers, like their counterparts from Nestle, erected a blue canopy and in front of it laid a miniature coffin with the inscription: 'Final burial of PSC Tema Shipyard.'

Dancing to tunes of 'agbadza,' 'kpanlogo' and dirges as they filed past the miniature coffin, the drydockers displayed supposed traditional powers as they sprinkled concoctions into the coffin.

Not only that they replaced the PSC Tema Shipyard flag with that of former Tema Shipyard and Drydock Corporation (TSDC) yellow, black star and a ship accompanying.

A tanker, MV Porthos, belonging to Tsakos which lifts fuel for the TOR that went for repairs at the drydock, remained locked up.

The vessel was scheduled to sail since Friday, last week, out of the dock but the strike action rendered her stationary afloat.

Accusations were that since the Malaysians took over management of the shipyard barely six years ago, the yard has been deteriorating without the Malaysians, who paid $3 million out of the actual value of $4.2million, making any effort to lift it from the present predicament.

According to the workers, Mr. Abdullay, the British and only Managing Director who is not a Malaysian among the four past chief executives, was undermined by his Malaysian subordinates.

His departure was seen as a big blow to the progress of the shipyard which Business Focus of Malaysia came to run without a spanner.

On rituals that were performed in the yard by the Malaysians who believed it is to expel demons, the workers described it as an excuse to cover up for their inefficiencies.

A suggestion for the constitution of an interim management committee was kicked against by the drydockers who defied a heavy downpour to burn a miniature casket and the PSC flag.

Meanwhile, some board members and the management were at a meeting that is supposed to constitute a five-man IMC.

The IMC, if finally constituted, will see PSC providing three personnel, while two Ghanaians will be included.