UNION OF INDUSTRY, COMMERCE AND FINANCE vs. HARLEQUIN INTERNATIONAL (GHANA) LIMITED [2023]DLHC16847

UNION OF INDUSTRY, COMMERCE AND FINANCE vs. HARLEQUIN INTERNATIONAL (GHANA) LIM... [2023]DLHC16847

Date	2023-11-16
Suit No.	-
Citation No.	[2023]DLHC16847

CECILIA H. SOWAH JA. (PRESIDING)

GIFTY AGYEI ADDO JA

DR. ERNEST OWUSU-DAPAA JA.

CHARLES BAWADUAH

DENNIS AGYEI DWOMOH

KOFI A. AGYEMANG

SELORM YAO MACCAULEY

[2023]DLHC16847
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													<main id="main" class="content" style="min-height: 60rem" ><a name="_Hlk152146143"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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">UNION OF INDUSTRY, COMMERCE AND FINANCE <o:p></o:p></a><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">(PLAINTIFF)<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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">HARLEQUIN INTERNATIONAL (GHANA) LIMITED <o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">(DEFENDANT)<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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;">[HIGH COURT, ACCRA]<o:p></o:p><span style="font-size:10.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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;">&nbsp;<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;">

<a name="_heading=h.gjdgxs"></a>CIVIL
APPEAL NO. H1/147/23&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: 16TH &nbsp;NOVEMBER 2023<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt 463.5pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">CHARLES
BAWADUAH FOR THE COMPLAINANT/APPELLANT.<o:p></o:p>

<p class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;text-align:
justify;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt 463.5pt;border:none;mso-border-bottom-alt:
solid windowtext 1.5pt;padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:0cm 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:
11.0pt;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;;mso-bidi-font-weight:bold">DENNIS
AGYEI DWOMOH (WITH HIM KOFI A. AGYEMANG AND SELORM YAO MACCAULEY) FOR THE
RESPONDENT/RESPONDENT.<o:p></o:p>

</div><span style="font-size:
12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">CORAM
<o:p></o:p>CECILIA
H. SOWAH,
JA. (PRESIDING).<o:p></o:p>GIFTY AGYEI ADDO, JA.<o:p></o:p>DR. ERNEST OWUSU-DAPAA, JA.<o:p></o:p><div style="border-top-width: 1.5pt; border-top-color: black; border-left: none; border-bottom-width: 1.5pt; border-bottom-color: black; border-right: none; padding: 1pt 0cm;">

<p class="MsoNormal" align="center" style="margin-bottom:0cm;margin-bottom:.0001pt;
text-align:center;line-height:115%;tab-stops:4.5pt 463.5pt;border:none;
mso-border-top-alt:solid black 1.5pt;mso-border-bottom-alt:solid black 1.5pt;
padding:0cm;mso-padding-alt:1.0pt 0cm 1.0pt 0cm"><span style="font-size:
12.0pt;mso-bidi-font-size:11.0pt;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;">JUDGMENT<o:p></o:p>

</div>GIFTY AGYEI ADDO, JA.<o:p></o:p>INTRODUCTION
<o:p></o:p>Before us is an appeal by the Union
of Industry, Commerce and Finance Workers (UNICOF, hereinafter known as the
Appellant) against the decision of the
National Labour Commission, which decision, dated 18th May 2018,
ensued from an industrial dispute placed before the Commission by the parties
in this appeal. <o:p></o:p>BACKGROUND FACTS GIVING RISE
TO THE APPEAL<o:p></o:p>For
ease of reference, in this appeal, the Complainant/Appellant shall be called
the Appellant, whilst the Respondent/Respondent shall simply be called the
Respondent.<o:p></o:p>&nbsp;THE CASE OF THE APPELLANT<o:p></o:p>The
case of the Appellant, as gleaned from the record before us, is as follows:<o:p></o:p>In
the year 2017, the Appellant, unionised some workers of the Respondent and
secured a Collective Bargaining Certificate (CBC) in January 2018, to represent
those workers in respect of matters that affect their employment well-being
with the Respondent Company. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;It
also the case of the Appellant that it constituted a Standing Negotiating
Committee and signed rules of engagement on behalf of those workers. That it
submitted proposals for the negotiation of a Collective Agreement to the
Respondent since February 2018, without receiving any response from the
management of the Respondent. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;According
to the Appellant, whilst waiting to commence the said negotiations with the
Respondent, the latter transferred some of the workers from their station in
Tema to Takoradi, without recourse to it under very difficult conditions such
that the workers did not proceed on the transfer. That this caused the
management of the Respondent on 16th April 2018, to lock the
entrance of the company from behind to disallow entry by the workers. <o:p></o:p>&nbsp;