Atlantic Port Services reopens for business

Tema (Northern Region) 13 April '99

Atlantic Port Services Limited (APS), a private stevedoring company established by the late Chief Hamilton Biney, on Monday re-opened the company for business at the Port of Tema after a five-week closure. This follows the resolution of a misunderstanding among Chief Biney's children to whom the company was willed. The Bineys, who have equal shares in APS, have now appointed one of their number, Mr Peter Biney, as acting managing director of the company. Mr Kwaku Dua Boateng, acting director-general of the GPHA, condemned the extent of the crisis and warned that "the GPHA will take drastic action against the APS if the misunderstandings re-occur". The GPHA would ensure that "peace prevails in the port to enable all port operators to go about their activities without any fear". In January this year, the workers of APS passed a vote of no confidence in Mr Peter Biney, executive director, and Mr Geoffrey Biney, regional director, for "anti-worker disposition and mismanagement which threatened their continued employment". The two directors reacted by terminating the appointment of all the workers and asked them to re-apply. This was, however, rejected by the Maritime and Dock Workers Union, which said the workers could not be victimised "over shareholders dispute". The workers and the management resolved to begin operations on a clean sheet. "There was a misunderstanding among the shareholders, and we have now reached a compromise to get APS back to work", Mr Peter Biney said. Mr Kofi Asamoah, general secretary of the Maritime and Dock Workers Union, said the union was happy that all its 90 members were resuming work today. All of them received their pay while at home. The Private Enterprise Foundation (PEF) has agreed to introduce "proper structures to end the regular interference in the day-to- day running of the company by the directors and shareholders, the major reasons for the conflict". The late chief Biney willed APS to his 13 children. Two of them sold their shares. The rest got divided into two factions over who should run the company.