NLC meets Telecom Union, employers over collective agreement standoff

The National Labour Commission (NLC) has met with the Telecommunication and Information Technology (IT) Professionals Union (TIP) and their employers to find an amicable solution to their standoff over collective agreement negotiation.

The meeting followed an invitation extended to the NLC by the parties to assist them to resolve the impasse over their second collective agreement, which has been in negotiation since April this year.

As of the time of filing this report about 1645 hours, the representatives of the parties were locked up in a crunch meeting with the NLC at the Commission’s head office in Accra.

The Ghana News Agency gathered that the Commission’s Executive Secretary, Mr Ofosu Asamoah mediated the hearing.

Huawei Technologies Limited, contractors of the four employers – Linfra Ghana Limited, Reime Ghana Ltd, MPI Ghana, and Reliance Personnel Services Ltd, has contracted the workers to manage the technical operations of MTN Ghana, Vodafone and AirtelTigo.

The TIP earlier threatened to embark on an indefinite nationwide strike on Monday, September 7, 2022, over their conditions of service.

Mrs Sika Abla Addo, External Counsel, Linfra Ghana, told the GNA on Monday that though the parties had agreed on majority of the issues, they had a deadlock on four other matters on the collective agreement.

The outstanding issues involving the workers – most of whom had a maximum of one-year fixed contract – include salary increment, extra site allowance, golden handshake and who the principal and immediate employers were.

In an interview, Mr Israel Edem Agbedor, General Secretary, TIP, said the parties had reached agreement on one of their three “non-negotiable” issues, which led to the calling on the NLC to intervene in the deadlock.

He said: “Our members are very angry; they’re tired of the talk and inaction by various institutions who are supposed to protect our rights.”

Source: GNA