TUC to use legitimate means to evict ICU

Accra, Feb. 2, GNA - The Trades Union Congress (TUC) on Wednesday said it had begun the process to use legitimate means to evict from its premises the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU), which broke away from the TUC six months ago.

Addressing a press conference to clarify what it described as "misconceptions" of the issue, Mr Kwasi Adu-Amankwah, Secretary General of the TUC, said: "The Ghana TUC will, of course, employ all legitimate means to secure access to the space currently occupied by the ICU for the use of its affiliate."

He said there was no cause for alarm about the matter because the Union's Constitution clearly stated that any affiliate that withdrew from it must vacate any TUC's property. "This is a simple and straight forward matter."

The TUC gave the ICU up to January 31, 2005 to vacate the Hall of Trades Unions but the Leadership of the ICU vehemently and publicly registered their refusal saying the Hall did not belong to TUC but the workers of Ghana.

Mr Adu-Amankwah quoted Article 13 of the TUC's Constitution which says: "An affiliate shall on withdrawal from the TUC, vacate any Ghana TUC premises occupied by it and restore it in the state and manner in which it was at the beginning of occupation."

"If the ICU has decided to go, it must do what is proper by simply vacating the premises.

"The Ghana TUC regrets that this simple constitutional demand on the ICU has been blown so much out of proportion... (ICU) is behaving as if the Ghana TUC is fighting it."

Mr Adu-Amankwah gave the background of the ICU's disaffiliation and its internal problems, which led to two bodies disaffiliating themselves from the ICU itself. He named the bodies as the Textile, Garments and Leather Employees Union (TEGLEU) and the Union of Industrial, Commerce and Finance Workers (UNICOF). Mr Adu-Amankwah said: "Given the history of the ICU relations with the Ghana TUC and its habit of finding scapegoat for what is clearly the Union's own problems, the Executive Board of the TUC believes that it acted properly by accepting the ICU's notice of disaffiliation..." 02 Feb. 05