TV3 Management stops PSWU from picketing
The Public Services Workers Union (PSWU) of the Ghana Trade Union Congress (TUC), on Tuesday, called off it advertised picketing at the precincts of TV3 Network Limited.
This follows a court injunction secured by the Management of TV3 to stop the planned massive picketing by PSWU’s Greater Accra members in solidarity with some members who were dismissed by the television station.
The picketing forms part of series of industrial actions planned by the PSWU Greater Accra Regional Executives to register their abhorrence to the summarily dismissal of the 32 staffs of TV3 and also to demonstrate the union’s support for its members.
The Ghana News Agency observed that prior to the cancelation, members of the members clad in red attires and arm bands, and holding placards, had gathered at the forecourt of TUC, in Accra amidst drumming and dancing ready to set off to the precincts of TV3, a PSWU National Executive member emerged and announced to the court injunction and appealed to the members to call off the intended action.
Mr Richard Amperbeng, PSWU General Secretary, who gave the information to the enthusiastic crowd said the inability to go on the picketing was due to the fact that the Union had “just sighted an injunction stopping us to picket around TV3 and demonstrating or wearing red bands”.
He explained that the Management of the television station had apparently filed the injunction in the High Court of Justice, Industrial and Labour Division in a suit number IL0035/20017, restraining the Union from picketing.
While dispersing the crowd, Mr Amperbeng said the aim of the announced industrial actions were to get the 32 staff reinstated, saying it was so wrong to dismiss the staff summarily.
Meanwhile, the General Secretary has explained to the GNA in an interview that PSWU had in turn submitted the suit to its lawyers to file a counter motion with the view of setting the injunction aside to enable the Union to continue with its legitimate actions in support of the staff.
He said the Labour Commission had also invited the PSWU, Minister of Employment and Labour Relations and the Management of TV3 to a meeting, on Wednesday afternoon, to discuss the wrongful dismissal of the staff.
“We are not leaving the matter to hang, we will follow it to its logical conclusion,” Mr Amperbeng assured.
In a related development, the President of the Ghana Journalists Association (GJA), Mr Roland Affail Monney who was also at the gathering of the Union members, expressed solidarity with the action of PSWU on behalf of the dismissed staff.
Mr Monney said it was not right for the Management of TV3 to handle the case in that manner.
Prior to the call off of the picketing, the PSWU had been calling on members of the Union to participate effectively in all the Solidarity Actions.
PSWU said the Management of TV3 took the action without due regard to the National Union or respect for the processes that established the Management-Union relationship, an action which was an affront to the social partnership.
“Since the dastardly incident, the approaches by the Union to resolve the matters amicably have not received the necessary good faith hearing from the Management of TV3, a pre-requisite for our Social Partnership and the Collective Bargaining Processes,” a release issued by PSWU had said.
Source: GNA