Mine Workers Union, Sunon Asogli clash over unionisation of workers

The Ghana Mine Workers’ Union of the Ghana Trade Union Congress (GTUC) has threatened to embark on a massive demonstration with the entire Trades Union Congress against Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited.

The union says it has since the last quarter of 2021 initiated the process of unionising the workers of Sunon Asogli Power (Ghana) Limited when over 60 employees applied to join the union, but so far the process has been fraught with wilful interferences, threats, intimidation.

“All have and continue to delay the process leaving in its wake, marginalised and intimidated workers who only have to ensure production for the capitalist gain”, the Union said.

Speaking at a press conference in Accra on Thursday, March 2, 2023,  General Secretary of the union, Abdul Moomin-Gbana said “this is violation of the fundamental rights of Ghanaian workers and the violation of fundamental human rights of Ghanaian workers in Sunon Asogli is violation of Ghanaian workers everywhere.”

“We are prepared to embark on an industrial action with full force of the labour movement because when you touch one, you touch all.”

Mr. Moomin-Gbana added “we do not see why all the private power producers within the Kpone enclave are part of unions. We do not see why Sunon Asogli should be an exception.”

Unionisation tussle background

In a statement issued by GMWU, on February 8, 2021 the Union wrote to management of the company in line with the process of unionisation and invited the management to engage over the decision of the workers and also requested them to supply the union with some basic company information to enable it apply for a bargaining certificate for the workers.

The union said the management did not respond to the letter and the union sent a reminder after which they responded, raising concern about some class of workers who cannot join or form a union and demanded further and better particulars of the people who have consented to join the GMWU.

The union responded in a letter dated March 2, 2021 and indicated to them that the very essence of the meeting it requested was for the parties to engage over such concerns and encouraged management to agree to the meeting.

To enlighten management on the process of unionisation, the union said it shared a copy of the National Tripartite Consensus on the process of unionisation but no response came from the Company.

GMWU says it applied to the Labour Department for a bargaining certificate, given the company’s ‘uncooperating stance’ which was duly issued after the Department followed its own processes.