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.