JACK AWUAH AND 4 ORS vs. GHANA ROAD TRANSPORT UNION OF THE TRADE UNION CONGRESS, NATIONAL SECRETARIAT, ACCRA [2019]DLHC10282

JACK AWUAH AND 4 ORS vs. GHANA ROAD TRANSPORT UNION OF THE TRADE UNION CONGRE... [2019]DLHC10282

Date	2019-02-26
Suit No.	SUIT NO. IL/0023/18
Citation No.	[2019]DLHC10282

HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE ANANDA J. AIKINS (MRS).

[2019]DLHC10282
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" >JACK AWUAH &nbsp;&nbsp;AND 4
ORS<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:173.5pt 277.5pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">(PLAINTIFFS/RESPONDENTS)<o:p></o:p>vs.<o:p></o:p><p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;tab-stops:287.0pt 367.5pt;
mso-layout-grid-align:none;text-autospace:none">GHANA
ROAD TRANSPORT UNION OF THE TRADE UNION CONGRESS,<o:p></o:p>NATIONAL SECRETARIAT, ACCRA<o:p></o:p>(DEFENDANT/APPLICANT)<o:p></o:p>[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:
none;text-autospace:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">SUIT NO. IL/0023/18&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:
26TH FEBRUARY 2019<o:p></o:p>

</div>CORAM:<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top: none; border-right: none; border-left: none; border-image: initial; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: windowtext; padding: 0cm 0cm 1pt;">

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:normal;mso-pagination:none;mso-layout-grid-align:none;
text-autospace:none;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid windowtext 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm">HER LADYSHIP JUSTICE ANANDA J. AIKINS (MRS). &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>

</div>&nbsp;RULING ON MOTION ON NOTICE
TO STRIKE OUT WRIT OF SUMMONS AND STATEMENT OF CLAIM.<o:p></o:p>The
defendant/applicant in the instant application requests this Court to strike
out the action of the plaintiffs/respondents on the sole ground that the
applicant is not clothed with legal personality and therefore cannot sue and be
sued by the respondents.<o:p></o:p>The
respondents have opposed this request, describing it as misconceived, unfounded
and unwarranted. The respondents say that the applicant is a duly constituted
union with a right to sue and be sued and as such the present application ought
to be dismissed.<o:p></o:p>In
his oral submissions before the Court, counsel for the applicant said the name
of the defendant on the face of the Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim is
given as ‘Ghana Road Transport Union’ and that such an entity does not exist.
He said the exhibits attached to the respondents’ supplementary affidavit in
opposition are in relation to the Ghana Private Road Transport Union, an entity
which is different from the defendant in the substantive suit. He therefore
requested the Court to strike out the plaintiff’s action since it is against a non-legal
entity.<o:p></o:p>In
his response, the counsel for the respondent referred the Court to the averment
in paragraph 2 of the accompanying Statement of Claim and said the defendant
has been sufficiently described in the said paragraph as the ‘Ghana Private
Road Transport Union’ which is an affiliate of the Trades Union Congress of
Ghana. Plaintiff counsel said the omission of the word ‘Private’ from the name
of the defendant on the Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim was a mere
misnomer which can be corrected through an amendment. He thus requested the
Court to dismiss the instant application in order for the weightier or serious
matters arising out of the plaintiff’s pleadings to be considered on the
merits.<o:p></o:p>The
Court has considered both submissions of counsel and has also looked at the
Writ of Summons and Statement of Claim, the affidavits of both parties plus all
annexures and the Court agrees with the submissions of counsel for the
respondents that paragraph 2 of the Statement of Claim makes it plain that the
defendant being sued is the Ghana Private Road Transport Union and not the
‘Ghana Road Transport Union’ and that the misspelling of the defendant’s name
is a mere misnomer that can be corrected through an amendment. Exhibits ‘1’,
‘2’ and ‘3’ which are attached to the respondents’ supplementary affidavit show
that the Ghana Private Road Transport Union is a legal entity which can sue and
be sued. It cannot therefore be said that the defendant is not a legal entity.<o:p></o:p>This
Court thus orders the plaintiffs/respondents to amend the title of the Writ of
Summons and Statement of Claim to insert the word ‘Private’ between ‘Ghana’ and
‘Road’ to reflect the correct name of the defendant/applicant.<o:p></o:p>In
the light of the foregoing, the application to strike out the suit is refused
as same is without merit. Cost of GH₵1,000.00
is awarded against the defendant/applicant. <o:p></o:p>(SGD)<o:p></o:p>JUSTICE ANANDA J. AIKINS (MRS)<o:p></o:p>JUSTICE OF THE HIGH COURT<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;&nbsp;

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