ICU Out Of TUC

The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) has seceded from the Trades Union Congress (TUC). It has served the TUC notice to that effect.

The decision was taken by the national executive council of the ICU, accusing the TUC leadership of “double standards, hypocrisy and betrayal of the ICU. The decision was contained in a letter dated June 11, 2004, signed by the general secretary of the ICU, Mr. Napoleon Kpoh and the national chairman, Mr. A.Y.B. Salifu and addressed to the secretary general of the TUC. The letter was titled, “Notice of disaffiliation from the TUC – A decision of the ICU National Executive Council (NEC).

It said the ICU was unhappy that the TUC felt it would have a better working relationship with a breakaway faction from the ICU, known as UNICOF. “It is our view that the TUC feels that it will be better off with the UNICOF and its leaders than the ICU and its leaders. The letter said the ICU was dissatisfied that the TUC was not “fair and straightforward in handling the breakaway faction led by Mr. Francis Davoh.

It said in spite of informing the TUC that UNICOF did not comply with the relevant provisions of it's constitution relating to the withdrawal of membership, hence the ICU taking legal action against it, the TUC did not wait for the outcome of the court action pending before the high court and started considering an affiliation with the UNCOF.

The ICU was also peeved that during what it described as a “cosmetic meeting” arranged by the state not clearly establishing whether or not the ICU had done anything wrong to warrant a breakaway but rather asked the ICU to accommodate the disintegration.

“The TUC by convening its governing structures to consider affiliation of UNICOF, meant that the leadership of the TUC was prepared to violate its own constitution i.e. article 10.7 in order to satisfy their vengeance against ICU. That is a violation of the TUC leadership's oath of office and tantamount to betrayal of colleagues, it added.

Another reason for the disaffiliation is that the TUC did not issue a mere statement to condemn alleged police brutalities on ICU members on the Tema motorway while on their way to Accra to find out why a planned demonstration by the ICU was called off.

The letter therefore serves as a formal notice of disaffiliation from the TUC. "It is our hope that the important lessons of your actions and inactions and our decisions will guide us all in the future" he said.