REPUBLIC vs. GHANA INDUSTRIAL HOLDING CORPORATION; EX PARTE AMARTEY KWEI AND OTHERS [1980]DLHC2182

REPUBLIC vs. GHANA INDUSTRIAL HOLDING CORPORATION; EX PARTE AMARTEY KWEI AND O... [1980]DLHC2182

Date	1980-06-13
Suit No.
Citation No.	[1980]DLHC2182

CECILIA KORANTENG-ADDOW J.

TSATSU TSIKATA FOR THE APPLICANTS.

<p class="mb-5" id="contentDlCitation"  hidden>[1980]DLHC2182</p>
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><span style="font-size: 18px !important;"><p style="text-align: start; "><span style="text-align: center;"><span style="line-height: 115%;">&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;</span><span style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif; color: rgb(84, 141, 212);">REPUBLIC</span></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:center;
mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:center 3.25in left 396.75pt"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="text-align:justify;tab-stops:104.25pt;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 0in 0in"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:Tahoma">TSATSU TSIKATA FOR THE APPLICANTS.<o:p></o:p></span></p>

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<p class="MsoNoSpacing" style="line-height:115%"><b><span style="font-size:12.0pt;line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,&quot;serif&quot;">CORAM:
<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:6.0pt;text-align:justify;border:none;
mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 0in 0in"><b><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">CECILIA KORANTENG-ADDOW J.<o:p></o:p></span></b></p>

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<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">The first
applicant is the chairman of the GIHOC Workers Union Council, the second
applicant is the secretary of the same council and the third applicant is the
treasurer. They bring this application for themselves and on behalf of all
other members of the Workers Trade Unions of all the divisions of the GIHOC.
The first respondent is a statutory corporation created by the Ghana Industrial
Holding Corporation Decree, 1967 (NLCD 207), as amended by the Ghana Industrial
Holding Corporation (Amendment) Act, 1970 (Act 354). The grounds of the
application are contained in the statement accompanying the application and the
facts of the case are stated in the supporting affidavit. From these documents,
the facts of the case may be stated as follows: The applicants are all employees
of the GIHOC. An announcement was made on the national radio on 6 June 1980,
and this announcement was published in the local newspapers, notably 9 June
1980 issue of the Daily Graphic at the front page, purporting to emanate from
the government and giving directives that “all employees of the Ghana
Industrial Holding Corporation belonging to a particular local union who
carried out demonstrations last Thursday [5 June 1980], should be dismissed
with immediate effect.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Following
the announcement, a meeting was held by the acting managing director of the
first respondent-corporation and the executive of the workers council. At that
meeting, the acting managing director informed the members that he had been
informed by the Minister of Industries that, at a meeting held by the
management and the minister, all the unionised staff of the corporation were
dismissed. Consequently, the employees were prevented by the police from going
to their places of work. The workers have, in fact, been dismissed by being
locked out. The lock-out must have been carried out by their employers, the
GIHOC; and they have, in fact, been told that the management has dismissed
them. The applicants are contending that their lock-out is a breach of their
collective agreement. They particularly rely on article 13 (5) which provides,
inter alia, that “Before a worker is summarily dismissed, he shall be given the
opportunity to defend himself.”<o:p></o:p></span></p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:5.0pt;text-align:justify;mso-pagination:
none;border:none;mso-padding-alt:31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt 31.0pt;mso-border-shadow:
yes"><span style="font-size: 12pt; line-height: 115%; font-family: &quot;Book Antiqua&quot;, serif;">Arguing
the motion, Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata submitted that the applicants have been denied
natural justice because they were dismissed in flagrant disregard of article 13
(5). In short, he said the workers were not given the opportunity to defend
themselves. He argued further, that by asking the workers to re-apply for
employment, the first respondent had acted against the presumption that one is
innocent until proved guilty. But the bedrock of the applicants’ case is that
the government has usurped the rights and powers of the management of the first
respondent-corporation by ordering the dismissal of the workers. According to
the applicants, by the terms of its incorporation as contained in NLCD 207, the
powers of appointing or employing and dismissing have been reserved for the
management, and these rights cannot be waived. Mr. Tsatsu Tsikata submitted
therefore that the government directives or decision is unlawful and the
applicants should be granted leave to issue a writ or order of certiorari to
remove the matter into this court and to quash it.<o:p></o:p></span></p>