Call MDU General Secretary to order – Tema Shipyard Workers

Some staff of Tema Shipyard have called on the Presidency to disregard the call by a rivalry members of the Maritime and Dock Workers Union, MDU for the immediate removal of the Chief Executive Officer of the company Captain Francis Bekoe Micah and the Human Resource and Estates Manager Samuel Adza.

According to the staff who belong to Port Seamen and Maritime Dockers Union, the call by the members of the MDU is malicious, self centred and must not be taken serious since it lacks basis.

The workers who spoke on condition of anonymity noted that the General Secretary of the Maritime and Dock Workers Union, Owusu Koranteng masterminded the removal of the CEO and the Human Resource Manager.

According to the workers, Mr Owusu Koranteng and his union members who are in the minority union group at the Tema Shipyard and are seriously using all manner of means to prevent a long time standing verification process within the company.

"Majority of us workers at the Tema Shipyard have decided we are no longer going to join the MDU hence the need to join the PSMDU. Since we took that decision, Mr Owusu Koranteng has consistently tried all means to frustrate our efforts," the workers noted.

"On the 13th of this month, we were supposed to have verification to know which union has the majority but only for Mr Koranteng to place an injunction on the process. Why is Mr Koranteng frustrating the verification process if not for his own parochial interest."

"We have about 272 workers at the shipyard. Majority of who are members of the PSMDU," they said.

The workers noted that Tema Shipyard has two unions and there is the need for verification to ensure who holds the bargaining certificate.

Article 10 of the Labour law states that “where there is two union in company, the chief Labour officer must conduct verification of the two and as such issue the majority group with a bargaining certificate.”

The workers however called for a foreign investor to partner GPHA to boost the fortunes of the company.

They noted that under the new management, vessels that come for repairs at the yard have increased tremendously and that from January till date about 24 vessels have been serviced unlike previous years where the company could service only about seven vessels.

“Things are moving on well now within Tema Shipyard and we want government to bring on-board a new investor to partner GPHA to bring more development in the company,” they said.