Supreme Court to rule on CEPS case

The Supreme Court will on Wednesday January 14, 2009 rule on whether the Customs, Excise and Preventive Service (CEPS) is a security service whose workers cannot join or form a trade union.

CEPS filed a writ at the Supreme Court last year seeking interpretation that the scope of application of the Labour Act 2003 as applied by the National Labour Commission to cover CEPS is inconsistent with Article 24 (4) of the 1992 Constitution.

CEPS said the collective bargaining certificate issued to the local Public Services Workers Union dated March 20, 1989 was void and of no effect.

CEPS sought the interpretation when the NLC applied to the Accra High Court for an order to compel the management of the Service to negotiate conditions and terms of employment with the PSWU.

The NLC had earlier ruled that CEPS was not part of the security services because it was not listed as such under the Labour Act.

Source: GNA