Workers of the National Lottery Authority (NLA), are accusing management of frustrating their attempts to join the union of their choice, the Financial Business and Services Employees Union (FBSEU), adding that they will be forced to lay down their tools if the frustration continues.
The Union in a petition submitted to the National Labour Commission, NLC, accused the Director-General of NLA of engineering the transfer of staff at the forefront of the push for the unionization of the NLA workers.
According to the Union, although it had initially written to the Labour Commission not to embark on strike against the management of the National Lotteries Authority, it has rescinded that decision.
“This latest decision though unfortunate has been necessitated by some decisions and actions taken against some of our members by the Director-General of the National Lottery Authority (NLA) to dismember our Union in favour of their preferred Union (ICU),” the Union said.
The petition signed by Benjamin Mingle, General Secretary – FBSEU, said immediately after the National Labour Commission (NLC) gave an initial directive for both the Union and NLA Management to engage to finalize the process, the Management moved to sabotaged them.
Mr. Mingle said NLA directed some Executives of its Staff Welfare Association, with financial support GHS30,000 to embark an outreach program campaign throughout the various regional branches to force the already unionized workers to join the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union.
“Indeed, it was as a result of disagreements between the representative of the Union and the leadership of the Welfare Association and refusal by the Unionized members of FBSEU in both Volta and Ashanti Regions to be coerced to join the ICU at one of the meetings, which has become the only reason for this mass transfer of the leadership of the local union by the Management of the NLA.”
“We wish to indicate that we are sending a letter of intent to the Greater Accra Regional Police Command of our decision to embark on a demonstration against the Director-General and the Management of the NLA as a sign of our disapproval to the intimidation of our members,” the Union added.