PRESS RELEASE : UNICOF STRIKE TO COME ON

October 28, 2008

The Union of Industry, Commerce and Finance Workers (UNICOF) has said the ultimatum it issued to embark on strike action is impending unless ProCredit re-instates Mr. Isaac Dekayie into the company’s employment.

Latest information from the union said a series of steps have been scheduled towards the final strike action, including high-powered meetings involving the National Executive Council (NEC) – The Union’s Board, comprising its over 70 members across the country to endorse the intended action.

Also, the Tema District Council of Labour (TDCL) is expected to meet on the crisis and decide on how the various district councils of labour should mobilize for the strike.

The TDCL in August issued its ultimatum for a strike action unless steps were taken to smoothen the imbalances in the labour sector including the reinstatement of Isaac Dekayie. The TDCL had said then that it was surprised that such acts of impunity could happen when Ghana has a National Labour Commission (NLC) responsible for dealing with such deviant behavior and therefore called on the Commission to stamp its authority before the situation got out of control.

A fortnight ago the union issued a letter to the NLC complaining on the unfair termination of Bro. Isaac Dekayie and a notice to embark on a strike action.

The union is protesting the unfair termination of Mr Dekayie, who was allegedly terminated without reason in this year because management said he solicited for members for UNICOF during working hours. Employed in August 2005, he was the Vice-Chairman of the ProCredit local union of UNICOF of GTUC, and worked at the company’s headquarters at Airport, Accra.

UNICOF began moves to unionise workers of ProCredit way back in 2005, and finally got its bargaining certificate in agreement with management. Surprisingly, management began to shuffle its feet when the union called for collective bargaining negotiations upon the formation of the Joint Standing Negotiating Committee.

Management in total disregard for the Labour Act 2003 and the 1992 constitution, have consequently victimized UNICOF Local union members despite efforts by the NLC to resolve the glitch. The final straw was the unfair termination of Bro. Isaac Dekayie, which UNICOF is determined to fight to the tooth.

Interestingly, management supports a ProCredit Workers Council (PWC), (an in-house association). Instead of negotiating with the duly authorized Union, it is alleged that management has been meeting with the PWC on the benefits of the workers. If proven, this would be a grievous offence and an affront to the laws regulating industrial relations in Ghana.

Inside information from ProCredit indicate that the workers were fed up with management tactics and were becoming disillusioned about the company’s prospects. The workers said these are issues that the Ghana Employers Association (GEA) should deal with in order to avert the intended strike action.

Last week, the Executive Director of GEA, Rose Karikari Annan described UNICOF’s intended action as sympathy strike that was against the Law, as such strikes affected unrelated organizations and total productivity, therefore workers and the union should be patient as the tripartite committee was taking steps to intervene in the impasse.

Labour analysts spoken to said GEA claims that sympathy strikes are baseless are untrue as there was nothing like that in the labour law. Moreover, UNICOF’s intended strike action would be very legal because the union has followed all the processes to have arrived at the point of going on strike.

According to these analysts, it was time for the shareholders to check the goings-on in ProCredit Ghana to protect their investment interests, which they can do by acting through their embassies. ProCredit has 11 global shareholders from seven countries, namely Belgium, Dutch, Netherlands

Salvador, Germany, Switzerland, United States as well as the World Bank Group.

A source said the chairperson of the ProCredit Holding Supervisory Board, Dr C. P. Zeitinger is alleged to be behind the untoward behavior of ProCredit in Ghana as he is alleged to have told a workers meeting that he would go to all extents including expending millions of dollars to ensure that the company’s workers do not get unionized.