Workers bare teeth at Akufo-Addo over appointment of ex-MP as NLC boss

President Akufo-Addo, has appointment a former Member of Parliament (MP) for Kade in the Eastern Region, Vincent Ofosu Asamoah as the new Executive Secretary of the National Labour Commission (NLC), a position which is non-political.

The ex-MP, replaces Charles Adongo Bawa Duah, who was appointed by the Public Service Commission (PSC) in April last year.

But the decision by the president, has angered the leadership of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), which has described it as unfair and unfortunate. The Union say, due processes, were not followed during the appointment.

According to the General Secretary of the ICU, Solomon Kotei, the right to appoint, rests with the Public Service Commission (PSC) and not the government or the President, he told TV3 last Friday.

Speaking on how the removed Executive Secretary was appointed, Mr. Kotei said, “The guy went through an advert that was placed [in the media] he went through interview, a panel sat on it and then he was appointed”.

This comes few months after the government, illegally ousted the medical director of the Ridge Hospital, Dr. Thomas Anaba, who was also appointed by the Public Service Commission to head the now Greater Accra Regional Hospital.

A similar incident, also happened at the Tamale Regional Hospital recently.

Few months ago, President Akufo-Addo, again appointed the Public Relations Officer (PRO) for Ghana Gas, a job which is purely for the management of the institution and not the president.

Mr. Kotei, who had earlier sounded the warning to the government not to appoint a politician to head a purely non-political institution of state, described the conduct of President Akufo-Addo, as regrettable.

The ex-NPP MP, has been confirmed by the president.

He decried the removal of Mr. Bawa Duah as unacceptable, because he satisfied the entire requirement before he was appointed by the PCS, last year.

The ICU General Secretary, reiterated the position was not politically motivated one because if it was, anytime governments change, the heads would have known that they expired with the administration.

“He was not politically appointed if he was politically appointed like chief executives are politically appointed, they know themselves that, if my party is not sustained in power, there is a likelihood that I will leave. But not when an August body like public service commission ok, not like they have this sole sourcing.

In another interview on Accra-based Starr FM recently, the General Secretary of the ICU, Mr. Solomon Kotei said, “Ever since the labour commission was established, the very first Executive Secretary, came through the Public Service Commission”.

He stressed, “The current Executive Secretary, Charles Adongo Bawa Duah, had to go through interview at the Public Service Commission, and he was appointed over a year now.”

According to him, this particular appointment coming from the Presidency without going through the Public Sector Commission is wrong, especially where the appointee is a politician.

He noted, “We all know the decisions of the Commission, we need not to have people with party colours and these are the concerns we are raising.”

“We are organizing ourselves this morning and tomorrow, to get over to the appointing authority and then raise our concerns and see how they will resolve the matter,” Kotei added.

On his part, the General Secretary of the Ghana Federation of Labour, Mr. Abraham Koomson, disassociated themselves from the concerns raised by the ICU.

Mr koomson said “I will advise, we have a lot of issues to deal with as far as workers job security is concerned.”

“The industries are collapsing, we are trying to do everything possible to stop it, and we have not gotten any positive result,” Koomson opined.

Earlier this year, some disgruntled staff of the Commission, asked the president to remove Mr. Charles Adongo Bawa Duah.

Reports say, the staff took that stance as a way of backing some colleagues, whose appointments were terminated.

The NLC Boss, came into office in April last year, but did not enjoy a particularly good relationship with the staff of the Commission.

A sizable number of the staff, marched to the offices of the Commission in red and black attires to lock up the place. They called for the immediate sacking of their boss.