Some workers of COCOBOD have threatened to expose some politicians who are fanning the Industrial and Commercial Union (ICU) and the General Agricultural workers union’s (GAWU) call for the removal of the chief executive, Dr Stephen Opuni.
Speaking in an interview with The New Crusading GUIDE on the sideline of a press conference on Friday, Alhaji Iddris Hassan, Supreme Chairman of the Consultative Council of Cocobod workers said ICU and GAWU have been contracted by some politicians within government to put pressure on the president John Dramani Mahama to remove Dr Opuni from Office and would soon mention the names of these people and expose their secrete deals.
It will be recalled that The Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) on Thursday demonstrated for the removal of the Chief Executive Officer of COCOBOD, Dr Stephen K. Opuni from office.
The workers mainly from the West Africa Mills company, clad in red garments and wielding placards gathered, at the Labour Ministry to present a petition to the Employment and Labour Relation Minister, Haruna Idrisu.
The petition was received by Deputy Minister for Employment and Labour Relation, Baaba Jamal and assured the workers of prompt action.
"I can assure you that this issue is not something we are going to sleep on" he added.
Reacting to the demonstration by ICU AND GAWU for the removal of Dr Opuni, Alhaji Iddris said all the allegations made by the unions in their petitions to the Minister of Employment and Labour relations are false. According to him, those acts are emanating from the underhand dealings of some politicians in government just to cause the removal of Dr Opuni. He said the demonstrators are not Cocobod workers but workers of WAMCO who were bused to Accra to join some staff of ICU for the demonstration.
He noted that Cocobod workers are happy with their working conditions and the transformation that has taken place under the leadership of Dr Opuni and therefore would do whatever within their means to resist the attack on their Chief Executive.
“WAMCO is not part of Cocobod. It’s a private company. Cocobod is only a minority shareholder. What happened was that the company was mismanaged by the German director and it led to its collapse and when the president went to Takoradi recently, some of the workers appealed to the president to help them and the president promised to do that. Thereafter the president requested Dr Opuni to assist them which is being done. So it is a gesture from Cocobod to assist the workers and not an obligation. So for ICU and GAWU to use this as a threat against our chief executive I see it as very unfortunate as we speak WAMCI is owing Cocobod US$49.5 million dollars and ICU still want us to pay workers six months’ salary?.” He quarried.
“ICU reported Dr Opuni to the president some time ago and made several allegations against him. The president in his wisdom investigated all the allegations and afterwards invited Dr Opuni to react to the allegations which he did. The president realized that they were untrue and Dr Opuni was made to continue with his good work so I don’t see why they will go back again and attack the man. In any case the matter is in court so why wouldn’t they wait for the verdict if they claim they are law abiding citizens “he said.
ICU cannot authorize the management of Cocobod to hold local elections since the labor law does not allow management of any organization to interfere in local union affairs.
Alhaji Iddris revealed that Dr Opuni as the chief executive of Cocobod operates under the Ministry of Finance not Employment and Labor relations and does not see why the Minister of Employment would invite him to answer to the allegations levelled against him.
All the letters and petitions are coming from the ministry of Labor relations and our investigations have exposed the people behind these threats and demonstrations, very soon we will start mentioning their names. You know me. I am a strong man and not afraid of anybody. They know what I can do and I will soon do that” he said.
Alhaji Iddris said he does not see anything wrong if Cocobod workers decide to break away from ICU because ICU itself broke away from the Trades Union Congress (TUC) sometime ago
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