Don't use us for your selfish interests -- KEDA workers tell CBMWU of TUC

Workers of Chinese ceramics manufacturers in Ghana, TWYFORD KEDA have unanimously dismissed suggestions by the Construction and Building Materials Workers Union of the TUC to unionize, calling it unnecessary disturbance of their working environment for their selfish interests.

Speaking to Newsmen on Monday January 20 2025, workers of TWYFORD KEDA
from various departments expressed their satisfaction with their working
conditions and their relationship with the company management and human
resource department, rejecting attempts by certain labor union elements
in the Western region to introduce unionization to them.

Apparently, the CBMWU of the TUC in December 2024 sent electronic
communications to all workers of TWYFORD KEDA Ghana Ceramics including
senior management, soliciting them to join their labor union. This
unsolicited communication from the union appeared clearly in breach of
the Data protection Act since the personal information of the workers
was not obtained with the authorization of TWYFORD KEDA management.

Many of the workers including the senior management were alarmed and had
raised concerns about how their private and personal information
provided to the company as their employer got into the hands of a third
party (CBMWU) and being used in public. The KEDA management wrote to the
CBMWU of TUC on December 27 2024 to protest their procession and use of
illegally obtained personal information of its workers and demanded a
disclosure of the source of the personal data of KEDA workers in their
hands as well as removal and destruction of the personal information of
the staff of the company.

However, the CBMWU of TUC provided an evasive response to KEDA,
justifying their action and continued to use the illegally obtained
company data to recruit workers from selected departments at KEDA to
incite other workers of the company to engage in union activities during
working hours at the KEDA factory.

While this conflict over use of illegally obtained company data is still
ongoing between KEDA and the CBMWU of TUC, an issue the company's
lawyers considers a serious breach of law which is also a major risk to
the workers' privacy and the operations of the company, the CBMWU's
Western Regional officers continue to contact some of the TWYFORD KEDA
workers using the illegal personal information to influence them with
promises of rewards of all kinds.

The KEDA management showed press men evidence of electronic transfer of
money from one of the Regional officers of the Union to a contract staff
(a Carpenter whose contract ends in March 2025) to support the recruited
workers to mobilize other workers to join the Union.

According to the KEDA management, these illegal behind-the-scenes
activities have led to insubordination, indiscipline, and interruption
of productive work in the Engineering unit where artisans such as
carpenters, steel benders and welders are engaged on a short-term
contract in an ongoing expansion project in the Company. They pointed
out that eight (8) workers hand-picked by the CBMWU as the agents of the
union in the company are all contract staff whose contracts end in March
2025. Four of them are carpenters, one is a steel bender and the other
two are welders.

Meanwhile, KEDA has taken the position that until the source of the
illegal acquisition of the personal information of its workers in breach
of the Data Protection Act is disclosed and all such information removed
from the custody of the CBMWU, verified and confirmed by experts, KEDA
can not engage in any official dealings with the Union. The KEDA
CERAMICS company has over 4,100 direct workers, most of whom live on
their manufacturing campus in dormitories provided freely by the company
in the heart of Aboadze.

When news men visited the KEDA CERAMICS company, several workers from
the various departments willingly spoke to press, expressing their
satisfaction with their current work conditions and discrediting the
need for any union activities on their work campus.

Judith Aggrey is from the finance department and she's a tax management
specialist. She's been working with KEDA for a year. She told newsmen
that she appreciates the working environment of the company that
provides her with free daily lunch during working hours and free
accommodation on the company campus that comes with free utilities.
''Besides, I have had salary increases twice within a year, and I can
choose to do overtime work for extra money, but it is not compulsory''.

Von Bismark Bissue is an engineer with Twyford KEDA for seven (7) years.
He told newsmen a worker's union is totally unnecessary at his
department where 362 workers earn their living happily. ''For workers
challenges we have an HR department that handle these efficiently, so I
don't think our department or company needs any union for any reason''.

Kismet Baffuor Amissah from the HR department of KEDA Ghana is the
training and talent management supervisor who's six years on his job in
the company. ''KEDA Ghana has been operating in Ghana since 2017' and
the company has complied with the labor law with its direct employees of
about 4,100'' he told newsmen, adding, ''We have a high satisfaction
rate among workers. KEDA has been excellent when it comes to compliance
with the labor laws of Ghana and we've even won awards for that with
many workers welfare benefits such as free lunch, free accommodation,
free electricity, free water and free internet''.

He said if some workers want to unionize the company will in no way
prevent anyone but KEDA Ghana will not tolerate any external
organization that will use underhand methods or illegal means to
penetrate the KEDA work force to obtain information and jeopardize their
operations.

Kufour Asamoah is a senior commercial manager at KEDA Ghana ceramics
company. He joined the company in 2016. According to him, there's
currently no workers union in the company and he does not see any need
for it because the company HR department and management have adhered to
the labor law 651 and have put in place so may policies to make the
workers happy.

''Salary adjustments are done twice in a year because the company
consider the economic situation of the workers every time. They're
running the company in a way that we the workers do not need any union''
he said. Mr. Asamoah highlighted the company policies relating to
maternity leave, optional overtime work schedules, constant salary
adjustments, safety and security measures and other welfare policies to
argue that the working environment all make unionization needless for
the workers of KEDA.

Osei Adom is an export supervisor with the export department. He said he
is over satisfied with his working conditions and he is always happy
when he receives his pay slip at the end of the month. ''Our salary is
calculated based on basic salary, performance allowance, position
allowance and overtime allowance''. He also added, ''I recommend my
company to others because to me Twyford KEDA has been a very good place
for me because it gives opportunities for us to grow. I didn't have any
knowledge about export but the company took me in, trained me and now I
can train people coming from the shipping and maritime industry. For me,
I don't think this union activities is important. Just concentrate on
your work and get your benefits''.

Isaac Blay is admin supervisor in charge of the local canteen that
provides one meal a day for workers. He has worked 2 years in the
company. He spoke to the press about how his work is so crucial for the
workers. ''My work helps to promote efficiency. We deliver every meal to
the office workers on their tables to make it convenient. The factory
workers eat from the canteen. Those who work during the day get lunch
and the night workers get dinner, all paid for by the company''. He
revealed his lack of interest in the union activities by asking what a
union will do for the workers that their employee is not already doing.
He also advised his colleague workers to avoid allowing external
organizations using them for their selfish interest since those unions
cannot provide them with jobs.

Meanwhile, TWYFORD KEDA is promoting cultural diversity according to
Amina from the electrical department. ''There is an institution within
the company where you can learn Chinese language and become a translator
between the Ghanaian workers and the Chinese workers. When you become a
translator, you get extra allowance. I speak Chinese but I have never
been to China and I earn mor salary for that'', she said adding, also,
you know it is not every company that they will provide you with free
accommodation, free water, free electricity and free food so we those
who work here are really lucky''.

The press team left the TWYFORD KEDA company premises with the
impression of largely happy workers in a healthy environment who feel
privileged to be working for the company. In addition, press men also
feared that the infiltration of these unapproved and unhealthy union
activities in the company could lead to the company's refusal to expand
their production capacity which will then negatively affect its
employment figures to the detriment of the many unemployed youth of
Ghana.

Executives of the CBMWU of TUC have not responded to press enquiries
regarding the allegations of the ilegal acquisition and use of KEDA
employee data and incitement of labor unrest within the company.

KEDA, a multi-million Dollar manufacturing company is currently
constructing additional free residential accommodation for staff on over
ten acres of land around the company premises. The company is one of the
largest local producers of tiles and sanitary ceramics and exporting to
other African countries, Europe, South and North America.