Sunon Asogli Power Ghana says it is not and has never been against unionisation.
According to the company, it is aware of the right of its employees under the 1992 Constitution of Ghana and the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651), to join a union.
“The issue has been about the procedure and approach adopted by the Ghana Mine Workers’ Union”, the company said in a statement it issued on its position on matters relating to the unionisation.
The company added “it has been our position right from the onset when the union wrote to us, that we cannot enter into an agreement or negotiate with people we do not know, and that when the Labour Law talks about ‘THE WORKER’ it is referring to a particular individual.”
Sunon Asogli says it requested that the union furnished it with the list of workers who had applied to join the union, but for close to two years, the union refused.
The company emphasised that its insistence on having the list to determine the classes of the employees the union were referring to, their departments, their job descriptions and organisational structure of the company was underpinned by section 79 subsection 2, 3 and 4 of the Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651); “So, we did nothing wrong in asking for the list because without it, how can we determine the requirements of subsection 2, 3 and 4 especially section 2 of the law?” the statement added.
According to Sunon Asogli, on February 17, 2023, just a week after GMWU submitted a list of 68 persons which it says included past employees and others who had indicated to the GMWU their desire to rescind their decision to join the union, the union subsequently under the leadership of its General Secretary, Deputy General Secretary and 34 employees of Sunon Asogli conspired, organised and participated in an unlawful and illegal industrial action by gathering at the parking lot of the company, shouting and chanting. A
It added that the conduct disturbed the peace and tranquility within its premises.
“To add insult to injury, when the company queried the 34 employees who participated in the illegal and unlawful act, the union wrote to the company on February 28, 2023, saying the union should be held responsible”, the statement added.
Sunon Asogli Power Ghana says the union’s posture smacks of arrogance, intimidation and aggression in their quest to unionise workers of the company.
The company further expressed disappointment in the Trade Union Congress (TUC) as a mother body, particularly by its press release of March 27, 2023 and the subsequent speech of the Executive Secretary on May Day 2023, which it says were laced with threats, falsehood, and distortions, with the sole intention to injure the reputation of Sunon Asogli and to lower the company in the estimation of right thinking members of society generally and in particular to expose the company to hatred, contempt, ridicule, and opprobrium.
“The inability of the TUC to hear from both sides before jumping to conclusion is worrying”, the company said.
Sunon Asogli added “the National Labour Commission, in our last appearance on March 15, 2023, advised the parties to stay all actions including commenting on the issue in the media, but the GMWU has hidden under the umbrella of TUC and has done just the opposite, all in the quest to intimidate Sunon Asogli.”
The company, however, has pledged to continue to abide by the law and use the right procedures to achieve competitive advantage as well as make it reliable and efficient at all times.
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