Respect Labour Laws - Management of unionised organisations urged

Accra, March 22, GNA - The management of unionised organisations should respect the country's labour laws and to strive to resolve industrial problems at their workplace.

The General Secretary of the General Transport, Petroleum and Chemical Workers' Union (GTPCWU), Mr Emmanuel Mensah, at a news conference in Accra, stated that this would prevent confrontation between union executives as well as workers and their management. He noted that this would promote the industrial peace and harmony needed for increased productivity and national progress. The conference was held by the GTPCWU to press home the grievances of the workers of the Airways Catering Limited (ACL) since July 2006, when a new management took over the operations of the company. Mr Mensah explained that the management of the company changed hands without the Union being informed, as required by section 65 of the Labour Act 2003 (Act 651).

The General Secretary expressed regret that several attempts by the Union to meet the new management to address issues bordering on collective bargaining and other industrial issues with the unionised employees of the company had not been successful.

Mr Mensah said "the unfortunate development" was brought to the attention of the Chairman of the ACL Board of Directors, but the management had not implemented agreements reached at a meeting. "Subsequent letters to the Board Chairman and the Chief Executive Officer of ACL on related issues at the level of the company did not receive any response from them, and the workers continue to suffer," he stated.

He noted that not even the intervention of the Minister of Aviation to help resolve the grievances of the workers at two meetings with an ACL team led by the Chief Executive Officer of the company and GTPCWU was fruitful.

Mr Mensah called on the National Labour Commission (NLC) to act quickly to resolve the industrial issues to ensure fairness at ACL. He urged the NLC to be proactive and to avoid actions that would "encourage tensions and other industrial unrest in the country, which is very worrying."