EMMANUEL C. PLANGE & 437 ORS vs. GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK LTD. [2014]DLSC3332

Date	2014-05-21
Suit No.	[SUPREME COURT, ACCRA] CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/39/2013
Citation No.	[2014]DLSC3332

ADINYIRA (MRS) J.S.C. (PRESIDING)

OWUSU (MS) J.S.C.

DOTSE J.S.C.

YEBOAH J.S.C.

AKAMBA J.S.C.

THADEUS SORY ESQ. WITH HIM NANA SEKYIWAA FOR THE DEFENDANT /APPELLANT/APPELLANT.

KWEKU PAINTSIL ESQ. WITH HIM MANDY KWAWUKUME FOR THE PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS/ RESPONDENTS.

[2014]DLSC3332
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >EMMANUEL C. PLANGE &amp;
437 ORS<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p>GHANA COMMERCIAL BANK
LTD.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;[SUPREME COURT,
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">

CIVIL APPEAL NO. J4/39/2013&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: 21ST
MAY, 2014<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:&nbsp;&nbsp; <o:p></o:p>THADEUS SORY ESQ. WITH HIM
NANA SEKYIWAA FOR THE&nbsp;&nbsp; DEFENDANT
/APPELLANT/APPELLANT.<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">

&nbsp;KWEKU PAINTSIL ESQ. WITH HIM MANDY KWAWUKUME
FOR THE&nbsp;&nbsp; PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS/
RESPONDENTS.<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM: <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" style="margin-bottom:0in;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;mso-outline-level:1;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0in;mso-padding-alt:0in 0in 1.0pt 0in">ADINYIRA
(MRS) J.S.C.
(PRESIDING), OWUSU (MS) J.S.C., DOTSE J.S.C., YEBOAH
J.S.C., AKAMBA
J.S.C. <o:p></o:p>

</div>JUDGMENT<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">

<o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>

</div><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>SOPHIA
ADINYIRA (MRS), J.S.C.<o:p></o:p>Facts<o:p></o:p>The
Plaintiffs are all former employees of Ghana Commercial Bank the Defendant
herein in the two suits having been employed and worked for the Defendant at
various periods of time between 1961 and 2002. In 1976 the Defendant
established a scheme known as the Ghana Commercial Bank Special Pension
Scheme.&nbsp; In this judgment we shall simply
refer to it as the Scheme.&nbsp; The rules
regulating the operation of the Scheme were approved by the&nbsp; Board of Directors of Ghana Commercial Bank
pursuant to Regulation 35(1) of the Ghana Commercial Bank Regulations which
have been scheduled to section 13 of the Ghana Commercial Bank Decree of 1972
(NRCD 115).&nbsp; Under this Scheme the
Defendant undertook to make payments of money to its employees who upon
satisfying conditions stipulated in the rules of the Scheme were to proceed on
pension.<o:p></o:p>The
Scheme was a non-contributory scheme. It was to be financed and resourced from
the profits of the bank and no employee was required to make any contribution
to the Scheme. To qualify for a withdrawal or enjoyment of the benefits under
the scheme, paragraph 3 of the Rules of Ghana Commercial Bank Special Pension
Scheme, Exhibit A1 herein, provides as follows.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; “3.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; CATEGORIES
OF EX-STAFF WHO QUALIFY<o:p></o:p>(a)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Members of staff who at the time of
compulsory or voluntary retirement have served the bank for a minimum period of
15 years shall qualify.&nbsp; In this context
the compulsory retiring age for both male and female employees shall be 60
years.&nbsp; There shall be a voluntary
retiring age of 45 years for both male and female employees.<o:p></o:p>(b)&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Members of staff who resign or whose
service are terminated also qualify for pension provided they have served for
period of 15 years and have attained the minimum age of 45 years.<o:p</main>