Stop Spewing Lies About Ongoing Restructuring At Tema Shipyard - Union Tells TV3 | General News

The Tema Shipyard Limited Local Union of the National Union of Seamen, Ports and Allied Workers (NUSPAW) of TUC has cautioned the host of TV3 morning, Johnny Hughes and all the manufacturing workforce to desist from churning out false data to most of the people concerning the continuing restructuring and capital injection on the Tema Shipyard.

According to the Union, Jonny Hughes and his total manufacturing crew will do TV3 and its viewing public good in the event that they search for the best data earlier than occurring air.

In a rejoinder despatched to TV 3 and the host of its JonniesBite present, Johnny Hughes, ostensibly in response to the misrepresentation of information churned out by the broadcaster, the Union stated they along with administration went by means of all of the processes outlined within the Labor Act ( Act 651, 2002) and subsequent procedures earlier than implementing the continuing labor restructuring and capital injection train.

Therefore, makes an attempt by Johnny Hughes to inform the general public utilizing a 2017 video clip of the Honorable Minister of Transport assuring the employees of no job losses shouldn't be a real reflection of the information on the grounds.

Again, it's palpably false and ill-intentioned for Jonny Hughes to create the impression that the Minister for Transport, Hon. Ofori Asiamah has proven no concern and brought any intervention to avoid wasting the dying firm from whole collapse. Rather it was the minister who has been on the forefront of reviving the Tema Shipyard, famous the Union.

The rejoinder dated November 8, 2022, was collectively signed by Samuel Attram, Chairman, JSU of NUSPAW, Isaac Kluvia, Chairman, SSU of NUSPAW, Patrick Ok. Attikey, Chairman, JSU of MDU and Mustapha Alhassan, Chairman, JSU of MDU.

Minister's Intervention

“If you care to know, the downward trend of PSC Tema Shipyard dates back to 2010 when the Government of Ghana through GPHA bought the Malaysians shares from the Malaysians. The Government in 2016 handed over management of Shipyard to GHPA to look for a strategic investor to bring the Shipyard standard. Workers of Tema Shipyard have been calling for a strategic investor to revamp the ailing Shipyard since the departure of the Malaysians. The government of Ghana since 2010 have tried to satisfy the expectations of the workers but to no avail. It will interest you one more time to know that under the leadership of the Sector Minister, Hon. Asiamah, Shipyard workers were paid from government resources for a period of 11 months which, we, as workers are most grateful to him”.

They added, “The Minister, during a certain period where the yard has been without vessels for about four months, the Minister single-handedly secured vessels to the Shipyard for repairs to keep the Shipyard moving. The video you showed on your program which captured the Minister assuring workers that nobody will lose his job was a video which date way back in 2017 when the Minister first visited the yard to acquaint himself with the operations of the Shipyard. You unfortunately presented the video as if it is a recent video directly linked with the ongoing restructuring exercise. It is our view that you have not been fair to the Hon. minister.”

According to the Union, the ailing shipyard has gone by means of a whole lot of new developments and guaranteed that Hon. Asiamah is as much as the duty of guaranteeing that the Tema Shipyard is revived, made aggressive and worthwhile.

“Majority of workers in Tema Shipyard are in support of the restructuring exercise currently underway. We would have been very happy if you got in touch with the leadership of the Union before you did a program on this subject. Why didn't you highlight the issues of shipyard during those trying moments when the yard was almost on its knees operating outmoded and dilapidated equipment that make the shipyard uncompetitive?”

TUC conscious of Restructuring Exercise

Explaining additional, the Union stated the continuing labor restructuring train has obtained the blessings of the Secretary General of the TUC, Dr. Yaw Baah.

“Dr. Yaw Baah has held meetings with the Sector Minister and the CEO regarding this very restructuring exercise. In fact, the TUC Secretary General is the one who authorized the CEO to go to the Chief Labor Officer for permission to carry out the exercise. The exercise at the moment has been and also going to be a major benefit to most of the workers. The TUC Secretary General delegated representatives to the Negotiation Team in the persons of Dr. Ebenezer Nyarko Otto, Sister Rose Kwei and Sister Miriam Atuguba who represented him during the process. This can be proved with the attendance list”, the joint signed rejoinder partly learn.

Capital Injection

If additional added, “We will kike to inform you that, without capital injection as well as new modern technology, it will be extremely difficult for the shipyard to survive the competition in the industry in the sub-region. As a result of this, the current restructuring exercise cannot be over-emphasized. After the exercise and with private capital injection, the yard has the potential of tripling the current labor strength”.

In the view of the Union, shipyards in international locations like Cote D'Ivoire, Senegal, and Equatorial Guinea are doing very properly than the Tema Shipyard due to the character of their labor setup. It is subsequently the imaginative and prescient of the CEO of the Tema Shipyard, Dr. Alexander Adusei and the Sector Minister, Hon. Asiamah, to function an identical shipyard mannequin as talked about within the international locations highlighted with the goal of tripling the present labor power when the yard is working effectively with non-public capital injection.