Dr Yaw Alexander Adusei
The Trades Union Congress (TUC) has petitioned President Nana Addo Dankwa Akufo-Addo to intervene in handling some recent unhealthy developments at the PSC Tema Shipyard Limited.
Key among the issues are the alleged intentions of the Chief Executive Officer, Dr Alexander Yaw Adusei Jr, to privatize the Shipyard, and also carry out r a redundancy plan.
A letter to the President, signed by the General Secretary of the TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah, said the Chief Executive Officer of the Shipyard had notified the Chief Labour Officer and the two TUC affiliate unions operating at the Shipyard about his intentions.
The two TUC unions are the National Union of Seamen, Port and Allied Workers (NUSPAW) and Maritime and Dockworkers’ Union (MDU).
According to the letter, these unions have since been invited to start negotiations for redundancy, in accordance with Section 65 of the National Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651).
TUC has therefore expressed concern about Dr Yaw Adusei’s motives, and called on the President to step in, if government is keen on seeing PSC Tema Shipyard rebound.
The TUC is particularly protesting the right or mandate of Dr Yaw Adusei to undertake such a consequential decision in a state-owned enterprise, given that he is not the substantive CEO.
“The Shipyard has had no Board of Directors for a very long period. We understand that Dr. Alexander Yaw Adusei Jr, who is a full-time employee of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) and the substantive Director of Port of Keta, was seconded to the Shipyard by the Director-General of Ghana Ports and Harbours Authority (GPHA) as a caretaker CEO,” the letter disclosed.
Industrial chaos
The TUC also expressed regrets about the fact that since Dr. Yaw Adusei took over as caretaker CEO, there had not been industrial peace at the Shipyard.
“Some Shipyard workers called for his dismissal after accusing him of incompetence. Consequently, he has dismissed a number of Shipyard employees and suspended some of them indefinitely. Some of the workers have been asked to go on leave. The rest are idling about at the Shipyard because there has been no lob for ship repairs for a couple of months,” the letter alleged.
The TUC believes that a decision to “restructure” the Shipyard must be taken by a board duly constituted by the President and a substantive CEO, who is also duly appointed by the President.
“Such an important decision which may involve privatisation of part of the ownership of the Shipyard must not be taken by a caretaker CEO, acting without any guidance of a board duly appointed by the President of the Republic,” the letter warned.
The TUC further noted that information gathered points to the fact that the Tema Shipyard is viable and capable of competing favourably with other major shipyards in the West African Sub-region, if it is revamped.
It added that it is not against the injection of capital to revamp the Shipyard by the private sector. It “only want proper procedures to be followed, including the approval of the Parliament of Ghana for any deal that will involve full or partial privatisation of the Shipyard”.
Simmering tension
There has been simmering tension at the PSC Tema Shipyard in recent times as a result of what the workers consider as “the rule of terror” by the Chief Executive Officer, who they have accuse of “illegal” dismissal and interdiction of some of their colleagues.
The situation is said to be “counterproductive”, as it has “lowered the morale of workers”. The workers also say the CEO lacks the ability to keep the facility in competition due to his poor understanding of the business of dry dock dynamics and space.
Dr Adusei has further been accused of engaging in “clear acts of divide and rule”, between the National Union Seamen, Port and Allied Union (NUSPAW) and the Maritime and Dockworkers’ Union, allegedly resulting in a culture of silence and low morale among the staff.
Furthermore, the workers have accused him of violating the Labour Laws of Ghana by dismissing some of them, and suspending others far beyond the legally allowed period of six months as provided in the laws of Ghana.
Leaders of the Tema District Council of Labour (TDCL) recently called on the President and the Minister of Transport to remove Dr Alexander Adusei from office for what they termed as “lack of understanding of the shipyard business”.
About The Author
