ANDREW A. AMOAH vs. NEWMONT GHANA GOLD LIMITED [2016]DLCA8457

Date	2016-07-14
Suit No.	CIVIL APPEAL NO: H1/119/2016
Citation No.	[2016]DLCA8457

OFOE JA (PRESIDING)

LARBI (MRS) JA

AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA

AHUMAH OCANSEY FOR PLAINTIFF APPELLANT.

DOE TSIKATA FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT.

[2016]DLCA8457
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >ANDREW A. AMOAH<o:p></o:p>(PLAINTIFF/APPELLANT)<o:p></o:p><span lang="EN-GB" style="font-size:12.0pt;
line-height:115%;font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;,serif;mso-fareast-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;
mso-bidi-font-family:&quot;Book Antiqua&quot;;color:#00B0F0">vs.<o:p></o:p>NEWMONT GHANA GOLD LIMITED<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT)<o:p></o:p><o:p>&nbsp;</o:p>[COURT
OF APPEAL (CIVIL DIVISION), ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

CIVIL
APPEAL NO: H1/119/2016&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:
14TH JULY, 2016<o:p></o:p>

</div>COUNSEL:<o:p></o:p>AHUMAH
OCANSEY FOR PLAINTIFF APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p><div style="mso-element:para-border-div;border:none;border-bottom:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">

DOE
TSIKATA FOR DEFENDANT/RESPONDENT.<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;
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OFOE
JA (PRESIDING), LARBI (MRS) JA, AGYEMANG (MRS.) JA<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;
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<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>AGYEMANG, JA:<o:p></o:p>In this appeal against the decision of the High
Court (Industrial and Labour Division) Accra, delivered on the 10th of December,
2013, the plaintiff/appellant (hereafter described alternately as the appellant
or the plaintiff), seeks the setting aside the judgment (described by the court
as its ruling), and the grant of the relief sought by the appellant at the
court below. <o:p></o:p>These are the antecedents of the appeal. <o:p></o:p>The plaintiff was employed in 2009 as a Business
Excellence Black Belt by the defendant/respondent (referred to alternately as
the respondent, or the defendant). On the 11th of March 2010, he was
given new employment by way of promotion to the position of Mine Manager for
Ahafo. <o:p></o:p>The new employment was governed by a letter of
appointment dated 11th of March 2010, as well as a document
described as the Newmont Ghana Senior Management Staff Manual (hereafter
referred to as the “manual”), attached to, and recited in the said letter as
forming part of the conditions of the employment.<o:p></o:p>The plaintiff remained in that employment from the
11th of March 2010 until the 13th of May 2011 when the
respondent by letter to the appellant, terminated his services. The appellant
at the court below pleaded that before this, he had in fact been informed by
the respondent per its General Manager that his services were no longer required,
and he was asked to resign or be relieved of his employment. No reasons were
given to him for that request. He averred that it was when he failed to resign
that his employment was terminated by letter of 13th May 2011. <o:p></o:p>The plaintiff commenced suit at the court below
seeking reliefs: inter alia, a
declaration that the termination of his employment by the respondent was
unlawful, offending both statutory law, and his conditions of service, as well
as damages for the wrongful termination, loss of reputation, embarrassment,
diminished prospect of employment in the mining industry and a medical state
induced by the wrongful termination.<o:p></o:p>At the close of the pleadings, the parties at the
application for directions, set out the issues to be determined and the defendant
set out two additional issues as preliminary issues to be determined by legal
arguments. The latter issues were:<o:p></o:p>1.&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;
Whether
or not it was a term of the plaintiff’s contract of employment that his
employment was determinable at will or upon notice;<o:p></o:p><sp</main>