GMWU to stage massive demo against Sunon Asogli on Tuesday over ‘wicked’ dismissal of 3 workers

The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union of the Trades Union Congress (Ghana) will on Tuesday, May 9, stage a demonstration in Kpone against Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Ltd to protest the unlawful dismissal of three workers.

This is a resolution adopted by the National Executive Council of the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union at its emergency meeting held on Monday, May 8, at the TUC Conference Hall, Accra.

At the demonstrations scheduled to be staged at Kpone, Tema, tomorrow, the Ghana Mineworkers’ Union will have the full support of the Trades Union Congress and all of its members.

According to the leadership of GMWU, the demonstration has become necessary because all calls on the management of Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Ltd and the authorities concerned to ensure that all the three local union leaders of the company whose appointments were wrongfully terminated are reinstated has fallen on deaf ears.

GMWU also argues that the several calls to the Management of Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Ltd to refrain from any acts of intimidation, fear, and panic being unleashed on its members in the company have yielded no result.

“Further convinced that Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited is abusing and violating workers’ rights, by preventing them from freely choosing to exercise their rights guaranteed by the Constitution of Ghana, labour laws and ILO Conventions 87 (Right to Freedom of Association) and 98 (Right to Organize and Collective Bargaining),

"The Ghana Mineworkers’ Union of TUC (Ghana) resolves as follows:

“To use every means including embarking on protest marches, picketing demonstrations, strikes, etc., across the industry and the country to demand the reinstatement of the three dismissed local union leaders of Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana),” General secretary of the GMWU, Abdul-Moomin Gbana announced at its emergency meeting today.

According to Abdul-Moomin Gbana, GMWU will work with TUC and all Organized Labour Groups in Ghana and abroad to demand the reinstatement of the three dismissed local union leaders and halt the notorious acts of intimidation and victimisation by Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited without further delay.

The GMWU with support from TUC besides the planned demonstration on Tuesday, says a number of actions have been planned and will be implemented if the sacked workers are not reinstated after the demonstration.

Speaking at the GMWU emergency meeting, Secretary-General of TUC, Dr. Anthony Baah assured of his outfit's commitment to push to ensure Sunon Asogli reinstates the sacked staff.

“This is not the time for long talks. The time for meetings is over. It is time to act now and I’m glad that you are ready for it. Our demand is simple. Our three brothers should be reinstated now. They have done nothing wrong. They only wanted to exercise their rights under the constitution of the country.

“Even the President of Ghana cannot stop us from joining a union not to talk of someone coming from China. No amount of investment can buy our rights. Not in our own country,” Dr. Anthony Baah emphasised.