The Maritime and Dockworkers Union (MDU) has condemned reports of hateful intimidation and attacks on its members at the PSC Tema Ship Yard by members of the Ports, Seamen, Maritime and Dockers’ Union (PSMDU).

In a strongly worded statement released on Monday, the MDU accused members of the PSMDU – a newly formed group of resorting to terrorising its law abiding members, simply because they chose to remain in the mother union, MDU.

The statement said, “Brother Farouk Abdul Razak and Brother Abubakar Salifu who are members of MDU in PSC Tema Shipyard participated in a meeting convened by the Chief Labour Officer on 17th November 2016 to address the complaint of MDU and our two members established their constitutional right to belong to the MDU in the meeting.

“The leaders of PSMDU who were unhappy about the desire of our two members to assert their trade union right, took the law into their hands and massed up about 40 workers to march the two members out of the yard of PSC Tema Shipyard”.

The statement signed by its General Secretary, Daniel Owusu-Koranteng said the MDU would continue to run a concerted campaign to ensure that “these unwarranted attacks and intimidations” on its members are halted.

Read the full statement below

STATEMENT ON THE ATTACK ON MEMBERS OF THE MARITIME AND DOCKWORKERS’ UNION (MDU) BY MEMBERS OF THE PORTS, SEAMEN, MARITIME AND DOCKERS’ UNION (PSMDU)

The Maritime and Dockworkers’ Union(MDU) wishes to express its deep concern about the emerging trends of intimidation and attacks on its members in PSC Tema Shipyard by members belonging to the Ports, Seamen, Maritime and Dockers’ Union(PSMDU).

The PSMDU, a recently formed rival union operating in PSC Tema Shipyard has resorted to intimidation and attacks on some members of MDU for the simple reason that they have decided to exercise their constitutional right of belonging to the MDU.

On 18th November 2016, about forty (40) members of the PSMDU took the law into their hands and marched two members of our union, Brother Farouk Abdul Razak and Brother Abubakar Salifu out of PSC Tema Shipyard.

The facts of the case are that, the junior staff of PSC Tema Shipyard had been members of the MDU for over thirty years (30) and we had represented them since this long period. We gained a Collective Bargaining Certificate (CBC) about two years ago to represent the senior staff of the Tema Shipyard.

The current executives of the junior staff union who are now members of PSMDU were originally elected into office as local union leaders of MDU and when they informed the management of PSC Tema Shipyard to suspend the payment of union dues to MDU and the withdrawal of membership from MDU to PSMDU, some of the workers decided to assert their trade union right to remain as members of MDU.

The MDU lodged a complaint to the Chief Labour Officer when we learnt that a Collective Bargaining Certificate (CBC) had been wrongly issued to PSMDU to cover the junior workers of PSC Tema Shipyard when our union was still in possession of a CBC to cover the same class of workers.

The MDU demanded a relief for the revocation of the CBC which had been wrongly issued to the PSMDU because in our opinion , the issuance of a CBC to two trade unions for the same class of workers in a company constitute a violation of the Labour Act(Act 651) of 2003.

Brother Farouk Abdul Razak and Brother Abubakar Salifu who are members of MDU in PSC Tema Shipyard participated in a meeting convened by the Chief Labour Officer on 17th November 2016 to address the complaint of MDU and our two members established their constitutional right to belong to the MDU in the meeting.

The leaders of PSMDU who were unhappy about the desire of our two members to assert their trade union right, took the law into their hands and massed up about 40 workers to march the two members out of the yard of PSC Tema Shipyard.

The Maritime and Dockworkers’ Union condemns the use of violence and intimidation as tools in the mobilisation of workers into trade unions. As a matured union, the MDU has worked to maintain industrial peace in the maritime industry and the introduction of hooliganism by the PSMDU in the industrial relations’ practice in the maritime industry would negatively affect productivity in the ports and the national economy.

The MDU would use all legal means to promote trade union rights and the right of our members to belong to the union of their choice and no amount of intimidation from the PSMDU would prevent our members from asserting their constitutional right to belong to MDU.

We are grateful to the management of PSC Tema Shipyard for taking immediate actions to protect the constitutional rights of the two members of our union.

We call on all democratic minded people to join in the condemnation of the actions of the PSMDU which would undermine industrial peace in the maritime industry.

Signed: Daniel Owusu-Koranteng (General Secretary of MDU) Dated: 21st November 2016