Construction Union wins case

Accra, Oct 6, GNA - An Accra High Court has ruled against one Aaron Mensah Lartey seeking an order to institute an Interim Management Committee (IMC) to run the administration of the Construction and Building Material Workers Union of the Trades Union Congress (TUC). The court awarded of five million cedis cost against Mr Lartey, who is a staff of the Union and plaintiff in the case.

Overruling the application the Court held that there was no basis for Mr Mensah to bring the application before it.

The Court declared that the National Executive Council of the Union was properly constituted and its decision for the National Officers to remain in office until the Union's conference was held was proper and in accordance with the Union's constitution.

It, therefore, ordered the status-quo, as decided and directed by the National Executive Council of the Union to stay for the national officers to administer the Union until the interim injunction was lifted and the Union went to conference to elect national officers. The Court noted that Mr Lartey could not establish any basis for accusing the national leadership of incompetence and financial impropriety, pointing out that the plaintiff effort in a previous case to restrain the Union from going to congress before August 10, 2004 was indicative that he was being mischievous.

The Court said the plaintiff could not justify his claim that the Union was facing a leadership crisis and there was no evidence to show that there existed a crisis that called for a change of elected officers. It said the Court would be setting a bad precedent, should it go ahead to suspend the Union's constitution and establish an interim management committee to run the administration of the Union and, therefore, overruled the application.