Union calls for probe into PSC Tema shipyard
Masahudu Ankiilu Kunateh, Ghanadot

Accra, Feb 25, Ghanadot - The Maritime and Dockworkers Union (MDU) has called on government to institute investigations into the operations of the PSC Ship yard to access its operational problems as a matter of urgency.

The call comes in the wake of the unending wrangling between management of the company and workers which led to an industrial action and a subsequent layoff of some 219 unionized employees of the yard.

The MDU said the industrial actions and impasse between the management of the workers were only symptoms of serious mismanagement and fraudulent deals that had engulfed the operations of the shipyard and requires full scale investigations by the government to unravel the extent of the problem.

The workers besieged the offices of the National Labour Commission yesterday demanding to be restored to work.

The General Secretary of The Maritime and Dockworkers Union Mr. Eben Mensah told Ghanadot that when all attempts to use the standing Negotiation Committee to resolve the issue had failed, the Union lodged a complaint with the National Labour Commission which ruled on February 6, 2009 that all the two hundred and nineteen (219) unionized employees who had been locked -out should be recalled to work.  However, he said, the management of the yard had blatantly flouted the ruling, “an indication of gross disrespect for the laws of the land” he stated.

The Maritime and Dockworkers Union alleged that management of the ship yard has since been sub-contracted to many of the company’s contractors who are cronies of the Malaysian management while the experienced permanent staff have since been replaced with inexperienced contract worker.

“The result had been that safety had been compromised with an increase in accidents which results in deaths and destruction of properties. We wish to report on a few cases which include the electrocution of 3 contract workers within a period of one week in January 2009 in which two died whiles the other is in a very critical condition.” the Union has sated .

“Our concern is that the government of Ghana had neglected its 40% interest in the company and left the Malaysian to run the company “he said.

He added that the ship yard being the second largest Ship Yard and Drydock company in Africa and the largest in the Sub-region, constitute a very important role in the oil industry in the country as there were more potential for business in terms of refurbishing and re-activating of mobile off-shore drilling units following the boost in oil and gas activity in the Gulf of Guinea.

He indicated further that the industrial relation problems facing the company could be traced to the absence of professionals to handle grievances of the employees .

He said, for example, the current Human Resource Manager of the company was a Horticulturist who was initially employed to carry out beatification of the ship yard whiles the acting accountant of the company was not a chartered accountant.

The Union is however demanding that Management of the company implement the ruling of the NLC and work towards the immediate recall of the 219 workers and also called on government to look for strategic investor who would inject capital into the company to save the company from total collapse.

Ghanadot