Aug 4, 2017
The management of the HFC Bank and the leadership of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) late Thursday expressed optimism to attaining peaceful resolution of the rift between the bank and some staff to be made redundant.
This follows a negotiation between management and the Union to determine a severance package for some 54 drivers who are to be laid off due to the bank’s outsourcing of transport services.
The negotiation was led by the bank’s Managing Director, Mr. Robert Le Hunte, the banks Human Resource consultant, Mr Austin Gamey and Mr. Solomon Kotei, General Secretary of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU).
The parties, at the end of the negotiations came to a common ground on most of the issues on the table except to re-schedule discussions of the severance package for the dismissed workers.
Speaking exclusively to ADR Daily at the end of the negotiations, MD for the HFC Bank, Le Hunte was confident there would be an amicable resolution of the disagreements between the parties.
“We continue to welcome negotiations with union in resolving all matters; we would have hoped to progress it a little further today, we understand it’s a process” Mr. Le Hunte said.
He reiterated that management has always taken a position to do what is right for the benefit of the organization and therefore confident that working with the union, we will achieve this objective.
The MD further expressed optimism that management and the union would attain a win-win position at the end of the negotiations for their mutual benefit.
He said, “We would expect that at the end of it, that we will resolve and end up in a win-win position that will allow for HFC to progress and continue being profitable because it is very important for our bank to be profitable so that we can continue to pay our workers and pay our depositors and remain profitable for the benefit of all.
The ICU General Secretary, Mr. Kotei on his part told ADR Daily he was happy with the manner with which the negotiations went.
“We have arrived at a lot of understanding which means that the way is clear, management rights to carry out the redundancy exercise is not in ambiguity.
According to Mr Kotei, “The 651 tenets are fully embraced, what is left now is to begin the negotiation for the package.”
He disclosed the negotiations for the package for the affected workers was adjourned to brief the staff of what transpired during their meeting with management and brace themselves in terms of what to expect in the severance package.
The ICU General Secretary futher explained that, they adjourned this meeting because “the union prayed the committee that there is a need for us to cascade down the message well to those who are affected and know what is to expect in terms of those positions.”
He said that the union will invite the executives to discuss the nuances of the next stage of their negotiation which according to him, was going to be interesting owing to the current economic conditions in the country.
By: Francis Tandoh/adrdaily.com
