Paul Ansah Asare
THE NATIONAL Executives of the Ports, Seamen, Maritime and Dockers Union (PSMDU) have debunked allegations of attack at the PSC Tema Shipyard.
According to PSMDU, workers of the vessel repairing company under the Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) are enjoying harmonious relationship devoid of any attack though they belong to different unions.
Recently, Maritime and Dockers Union of Tema District Council issued statement alleging that workers of the company were at each other’s throat over the formation of two unions namely- Maritime and Dockworkers’ Union (MDU) and Ports, Seamen, Maritime and Dockers Union (PSMDU).
In a statement signed by Mr. Michael Agmor, Deputy General Secretary of PSMDU to that effect, he indicated that “MDU’s accusation of PSMDU attacking their members in the shipyard is totally false; they are trying to brand us as bad people who are always fomenting trouble. They should be ashamed of themselves. If it is indeed true that shipyard workers are attacking each other, then it is the manifestation of the indiscipline MDU had inculcated into the workers over the years.”
According to the statement, until 2016, MDU had encouraged and supported shipyard workers to attack and drive out a number of managers from the company.
“Just to mention a few, the following managers were beaten and driven out of the yard; Salim Bin Kasim, Annuar Mohammed, Yew Bin Sin and Ismail Mohammed, all Malaysian managers.”
Others were Ayiku, former Head of Training, E. B Musey former Corporate Affairs Manager, and Mohammed Sayibu, former Procurement Manager. In 2017, Mr. Kwame Asare Duah, former Head of Finance was beaten and this led to management lock out of the entire junior staff in December “, the statement said.
Touching on the agitation for the dismissal of the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of the company, Capt. Francis Micah and Samuel Adjar, the Administrator and Estate Manager, PSMDU argued that MDU of Tema District Council of Labour has no locus to call for their removal.
According to them, “The workers of Tema Shipyard did not give MDU any mandate to remove the said managers. How can workers of other companies in MDU Tema district resolved to remove a CEO of another company without the consent of the workers of that company? That purported resolution lacks intellectual and legal competence; it should be disregarded and ignored,” the statement pointed out.
“We strongly maintain that the purported resolution passed by MDU lacks credibility and it should be ignored. We therefore challenge them to be BOLD and make public the resolution passed by shipyard workers for the removal of their CEO and the administrator and estate manager. The MDU is frustrated because they have totally lost their credibility and respect among shipyard workers.” the statement said.
From Vincent Kubi, Tema