MAXWELL NYARKO AND 2 OTHERS vs. TWIFO OIL PALM PLANTATION LTD [2004]DLCA6507

Date	2004-06-24
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO. 6-2003
Citation No.	[2004]DLCA6507

FARKYE J.A. (PRESIDING)

AMONOO-MONNEY J.A.

DOTSE J.A

[2004]DLCA6507
																																						<div class="restriction-wrapper">
														<div class="container-lg">
															<div class="row">
																<div class="col-md-12 restricted-content">
																	<div class="restricted-content-img-wrapper">
																		<div class="lock-icon bounce-7">
																			<img class=""
																				src="https://www.dennislawgh.com/dl-assets/dl-images/lock-content.png"
																				alt="Subscription based content">
																		</div>
																	</div>
																	 
																		<a href="https://www.dennislawgh.com/login"
																		class="btn btn-primary btn-lg"
																		style="font-family: 'open sans'; text-transform: capitalize; border-radius: 8px"> 
																		Login to Read Full Case </a>
																	 
																	
																</div>
															</div>
														</div>
													</div>
													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >MAXWELL
NYARKO AND 2 OTHERS<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFFS/APPELLANTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>TWIFO OIL
PALM PLANTATION LTD.<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p>[COURT OF APPEAL, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">CIVIL
APPEAL NO. 6-2003&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;&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; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;&nbsp;DATE: 24TH JUNE, 2004<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;line-height:
115%;mso-outline-level:1;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">FARKYE J.A. (PRESIDING),
AMONOO-MONNEY J.A., DOTSE J.A.<o:p></o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;mso-outline-level:1;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>FARKYE
J.A. <o:p></o:p>This
judgment is in respect of an appeal against the judgment of the High Court Cape
Coast delivered on the 8th day of April, 2002. <o:p></o:p>The
plaintiffs-appellants (herein referred to as the appellants) sued the
Defendants-Respondents (hereinafter referred to as the Respondents) on the 11th
February, 1999 at the High Court Cape Coast for and on behalf of themselves and
292 others. <o:p></o:p>Their
claims were for:— <o:p></o:p>(a)
A declaration, that their purported retirement by the defendants is contrary to
the provisions of defendants' 1995 collective agreement and therefore a
nullity. <o:p></o:p>(b)
Payment of the plaintiffs by the defendants of all salaries entitlements,
benefits, allowances etc. from the date of the purported retirements inclusive
of all increment up to the date of judgment. <o:p></o:p>(c)
Any other reliefs as may be just. <o:p></o:p>There
was a full trial and on the 8th April, 2002 the High Court Cape Coast dismissed
the claims of the appellants in its entirety and awarded ¢5,000,000.00 against
the appellants in favour of the respondents. <o:p></o:p>The
appellants being dissatisfied with the said judgment have appealed against the
judgment. <o:p></o:p>The
appellants filed notice of appeal on 4/7/2002 and later field an additional
grounds of appeal. <o:p></o:p>The
brief facts of the case are that all the appellants were on various dates
engaged by the respondents as headmen, harvesters and some in the maintenance
section. The appellants were members of the Ghana Agricultural workers Union
(GAWU) of T.U.C. and their relationship with the respondents governed by the
1995 Collective Agreement, Exhibit "B". <o:p></o:p>As
at October 1997, the Appellants were in the employment of the Respondents; and
the respondent in October, 1997 had a meeting between Management and the Local
Union. At the said meeting it was decided that the labour force of the
respondents should be pruned down. Special Retirement Exercise was carried out
and the appellants were retired and they were paid their entitlements. After
that the appellants' took this action. <o:p></o:p>Learned
Counsel for the Appellants filed original grounds of appeal. <o:p></o:p>The
original grounds of appeal are as follows:— <o:p></o:p>(i)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
That the judgment is against the weight of
the evidence adduced at the trial. <o:p></o:p>(ii)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
The learned Trial judge erred by not
holding that the exercise is one of Redundancy when he had earlier held in the
judgment that "the resolution to the problem was found in cutting down the
labour force to size". <o:p></o:p></s</main>