Challenge High Court Decision Not Allowing Employers To Give Reasons For Firing Workers - TUC Told

The leadership of Trade Union Congress (TUC) has been charged by the Managing Editor of the Insight newspaper, Kwesi Pratt Jnr. to challenge a High Court decision that employers are not under any obligation to give reasons for firing workers.

According to him, that decision by the High Court 10 years ago is a major upfront of the rights of workers but wondered why much attention has not been paid to this development and there was no mention of it during the celebration of Workers' Day.

"Not much attention has been paid to this development and I am surprised that at the celebrations of Workers' Day, May Day, this issue is not highlighted. I am also very surprised that the TUC has not gone to court to challenge a High court decision that employers are not under any obligation to give reasons for firing workers. This is a whole upfront to Trade Union rights; this is a major upfront of the rights of workers,” he wondered.

He stressed that leaving such obligation in the hands of employers to fire workers for no reason means that “if your boss doesn’t like your face, he can fire you and yet this High court decision was given more than 10 years ago”.

“ . . a High court decided that employers are under no obligation to give reasons for sacking workers and the Trade Union Congress is not fighting this decision. This is really incredible, completely incredible. I can’t understand it; major upfront to the rights of workers and the movement itself is not doing anything about it,” he marveled.

He however bemoaned that the plight of Ghanaian workers is horrible to the extent that there are still workers whose monthly net pay is less than Ghc 300; thus, the situation is worst among domestic workers as some are not even paid.

“I have recently found out that for some of the workers who work in hotels and restaurants, they are employed so that they can get tips and not salaries . . they are not paid at all, they employ you to work in a bar so that patrons will give you tips, not salary. This is most disgusting and worrisome,” he bemoaned.

But the veteran journalist was of the view that the plight of workers and their concerns have been loudly expressed by workers themselves, observing from the placards that the workers put out at the May Day celebration; reiterating that “the placards speak volumes about their plights and their major concerns”.

He concluded that the speech by the Secretary-General of the Trade Union Congress (TUC), who represents Organized Labour amidst the various placards displayed by the workers was also very loud enough that the biggest worrying and concern of the workers of Ghana happen to be the pursuit of the neo-liberal agenda.