As stakeholders continue to push for good governance in public institutions to motivate employees to deliver on their mandates to boost Ghana’s socio-economic development, some captains of State owned enterprises (SOE) are rather trampling upon workers’ rights with careless abandon.
One of such institutions is the Community Water and Sanitation Agency (CWSA) charged with providing safe water and improved sanitation for rural areas.
Workers, have accused the Chief Executive Officer (CEO) of CWSA, Worlanyo Siabi, of turning the SOE into a personal business where only his word stands.
Information obtained from the Public Utilities Workers Union (PUWU) of the Trades Union Congress (TUC) states that at least 15 employees, have fallen victim to the CEO’s alleged continued “autocratic” tendencies.
“The workers believe the CEO victimized them through sudden transfers and outright dismissals because they refused to be part of his high-handedness,” said a source.
After several attempts to get Mr Siabi to rescind some of these “unfair” treatment of workers, the PUWU filed a writ in an Accra High Court on 26th July, 2022, urging the court to declare among other reliefs that the decision to constitute “so-called” disciplinary committees to look into allegations against some workers without a union representation was an outright violation of collective bargaining agreement.
The PUWU also asked the court to declare that the purported transfer of its members on disciplinary grounds without allowances, as well as travelling to Accra for disciplinary hearing without transport and accommodation allowance were illegal and against the collective bargaining agreement (CBA).
The PUWU also sought: “A declaration that the purported dismissal and termination of appointments of some staff, emanating from improperly constituted disciplinary committees, or disciplinary committees whose works were not properly concluded were illegal,” said the first writ.
The plaintiffs urged the court to direct Mr. Siabi (Defendant) to recall all workers dismissed unfairly or whose contracts were terminated from the service of the agency.
“An order directed at the defendant restraining the defendant from further violating any part(s) of the whole CBA,” the writ added.
Rather than responding to the writ and appearing in court when the case was called in August, Mr. Siabi rather aggravated the situation by instituting measures to compel CWSA staff to terminate their membership of PUWU.
Meanwhile, workers are concerned that the governing board of CWSA, seems powerless in the face of the alleged egoistic tendencies of the CEO.
More soon
