Union appeals to workers to resist casualisation

The National Union of Harbour Employees-Ghana (NUHEM), has said there was a creeping culture of casualisation in Ghana which is synonymous with slavery, and this ought to be resisted and uprooted by workers.

This is contained in a statement issued in Tema and signed by the Union’s General Secretary, Mr. James Jimah Jebuni.

The statement said the situation where companies are resorting to the use of surrogate, proxies or third parties as employers of their workers instead of themselves must be resisted by workers.

The statement said this was a blatant abuse of labour because at the end of the month wages or emolument of workers, instead of paid directly to them, are channeled through contractors who paid out paltry amounts to the workers and expropriate the rest.

The Union commended Congress of South African Trade Unions (COSATU) and Wharfies of the Ports of Auckland Limited (POAL) of New Zealand for standing up against casualisation.

“Core businesses must be made to employ permanent workers at all cost and not casuals because equal work merit equal pay,” said the Union.**