The leaders of the Telecom and IT Professionals Union say they will not bow to pressure from the management of their employees to have their members back down on their strike.
Leaders of the union are accusing their employers of sending members threatening messages after they embarked on a strike to demand better conditions of service.
The union’s action has been prompted by what they call the failure of management to implement an arbitration order by the National Labour Commission.
Speaking to Citi News, the General Secretary of the Telecom and IT Professionals Union, Israel Edem Agbegbor stated that the management is going out of their way to threaten the workers rather than negotiate with them.
“There is a situation at hand and the people are not happy. Instead of you to try and make the people happy, you are threatening them and abusing their rights under Act 651, section 10 (b). They have a right to protect themselves. When the administration award was given to them, the act is binding on them to implement it so, why haven’t they done so. Everybody says these workers are essential service workers and essential service workers are supposed to be treated well and not have a break in communication. Management is supposed to do constant engagement with these workers, always keep an open door for them, and sending relevant information under section 97.”
“If we are working for you, and it is not going well, and you’re withholding the information and at the end of the year you come back and tell us there is no profit, so you are not going to get a share in the hard work we have done then where is the fairness and where does the law stand? Essential service workers and we are dragging conditions of service for almost two years,” he added.
Telcos Chamber urges telecoms union to reconsider strike
The Ghana Chamber of Telecommunications has urged the Telecom and IT Professionals Union to consider dialogue instead of striking over a pay dispute.
“While the Chamber acknowledges and respects the right of TIP to negotiate for favourable conditions of services, the body is appealing to the union to continue to pursue their demands through negotiation and arbitration,” it said in a statement.
NLC to meet Telecom workers union on Thursday over strike action
The National Labour Commission (NLC) also said it will meet with the Telecom and IT Professional Union over its strike action on Thursday, March 18, 2021.
The Commission insists the Telecom and IT Professionals Union should have returned to the Commission for enforcement of an earlier arbitration order it gave rather than embarking on industrial action.
The Executive Secretary of the NLC, Mr. Ofosu Asamoah explains that his outfit has received correspondence from management on the Union’s strike and will meet both parties on Thursday to resolve matters.
“If the Commission has given a directive, and it has not been followed by one party, it is only proper that the other [party] reports the defaulting party for the Commission to take steps including court action to get the party to comply rather than to declare a strike. The strike doesn’t come in when it comes to service providers especially in a case where the Commission has arbitrated on it and all that was needed was enforcement. So it was for them to report to us and invoke our powers to enforce the directive”.