Features
TUC: Still standing accused?
• Dr Anthony Yaw Baah, TUC General Secretary
Readers, about two months ago, a very concerned Labour Consultant and Member of the Ghana Association of Certified Mediators and Arbitrators, Mr Seth Abloso, wrote a detailed petition to the Secretary General of the Trades Union Congress of Ghana (TUC), reporting the criminal conduct of two “unfit” persons nominated by the TUC to represent Oganised Labour on the Boards of Trustees of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust (SSNIT) and the National Pensions Regulatory Authority (NPRA).
Indeed, the petition was titled:” Petition for the withdrawal of unfit persons as representatives of Oganised Labour on the Boards of Trustees of the Social Security and National Insurance Trust and the National Pensions Regulatory Authority.”
The petition was copied to: (a) Member Unions of Organised Labour (b) the Governor of the Bank of Ghana (c) the Managing Director of GCB Bank LLC (d) the Chief Labour Officer (e) the Director General – SSNIT (f) the Chief Executive Officer – NPRA (g) the Executive Secretary – Ghana Anti-Corruption Coalition (h) the Executive Director – Ghana Integrity Initiative and the two “unfit” persons.
The petition named the two “unfit” persons as John Senanu Amagashie, General Secretary of the Union of Industry, Commerce and Finance Workers (UNICOF) and Alex Nyarku-Opoku, who doubles as National Chairman of UNICOF and a Manager of the Burma Camp branch of GCB Bank LLC. Mr Nyarku-Opoku is also the Chairman of the General Council of the TUC.
Mr Abloso’s petition to the TUC Secretary General was fully highlighted by this column in the May 21, 2022 edition of The Spectator, and readers may refer to it.
In simple language, the petition was asking the TUC to replace the two “unfit” TUC nominees on SSNIT and NPRA Boards with new nominees, who are fit to represent Organised Labour on the two Boards.
Deeply reflecting on the criminal charges characterising the two “unfit” persons in Mr Abloso’s petition to the leadership of the TUC, one would have expected an institution like the TUC, to have responded to the petition to redeem its “infested” image in the matter but it has still not done that.
Lawyers for the two “unfit” persons have, however, written to Mr Abloso, asking him to “retract” what they claim as “defamatory and libellous statements” against their clients, as contained in his petition, besides rendering an apology.
The letter from the law firm (Law Alert Group) representing the two “unfit” persons, dated 10th June, 2022, was signed by Charles Bawaduah Esq. The letter warned Mr Abloso , stressing that within two weeks after the receipt of the letter, a legal action would be instituted against him if a “retraction” and an “apology” had not been rendered.
Having received the letter from the law firm on 22nd June 2022, Mr Abloso responded appropriately to it, re-affirming all the statements he made in his petition to the TUC leadership and further expatiated them.
Mr Abloso’s letter to the Law Alert Group, defending his statements on the two “unfit” persons makes very interesting reading.
His letter to the lawyers dated 30th June, 2022, emphatically stated: “The issues at stake are matters of public record and same have not been challenged in any way by Mr Alex Nyarku-Opoku and Mr John Senanu Amagashie and UNICOF.
“As matters stand now, Section 177(1) (c) of the Company Act, 2019 (ACT 992) remains relevant and indisputable. The unfit persons need to withdraw, be withdrawn or be restrained from being part of the Management or Directorship of any Company, whether limited by shares or limited by guarantee.
“Alternatively, I invite your clients to a joint verification of the records within one (1) week upon receipt of this letter, which outcome should conclude this matter and I await their favourable response to the request for verification.
“My request for Organised Labour through the Secretary General of the TUC to cause the withdrawal of Mr Nyarku-Opoku and Mr Senanu Amagashie from the Board of Directors of NPRA and the Board of Trustees of SSNIT, as Organised Labour representatives is based on the decisions of the High Court and records of the Judicial Service of Ghana, which are matters in the public domain and are not a fabrication.
“Mr Nyarku-Opoku was found by the ruling of the National Labour Commission (NLC) of 2nd June, 2017, to have lied on oath. The High Court affirmed this decision on 24th June, 2019, which has been acknowledged by him, rendering it as self-confessed misconduct.
“This alone renders him unfit to hold a position in the Union of Industry, Commerce and Finance Workers (UNICOF) , let alone in the TUC , and how much more to serve on a Public Board?
“He, together with Mr Amagashie, among others, were found by the NLC and the High Court decisions to have multiple breaches of the UNICOF Constitution, including perpetuating administrative and adjudicative injustice, and by the same Constitution they were debarred from holding any elective office in the UNICOF , having accepted their guilt of breach of the Union’s Constitution, but defiantly and illegally staying on , despite cherished principle that nobody should benefit from breaching the law.
“So, how did they get into the structures of the TUC and get appointed as Board Member of NPRA and SSNIT, representing Organised Labour ?
“The TUC Secretary General knew or ought to have known that the said individuals were unfit and should not have entertained their nomination for consideration to the said Boards.
“In fact, the logical expectation was that upon receipt of my letter identifying them as unfit for purpose, Mr Nyarku-Opoku and Mr Senanu Amagashie should have resigned on their own accord to relieve the Secretary General and Organised Labour of the burden of recalling them
“The loan facility with GCB Bank which enumerated their prowess in deceiving the Bank to obtain a loan was put in public domain when UNICOF instructed same to be filed at the High Court in suit No. MSIL/03/2019.
“In the said loan facility agreement signed by the two unfit persons, they submitted that there was no litigation or arbitration proceedings taking place, pending or threatening against the UNICOF or its assets, which may have material adverse effect on its business, assets or financial position, knowing very well that this declaration is a blatant falsehood as Suit No. MSIL/03/2019, NLC vrs UNICOF was ongoing at the High Court, Accra.
“These pieces of information are public and verifiable. Your letter did not state the individuals had commenced or completed any processes to purge themselves of their unlawful conduct per the NLC ruling and their making false claims to obtain a loan on behalf of UNICOF from the GCB Bank.
“Mr Nyarku-Opoku and Mr Senanu Amagashie appear to be embroiled in another case bordering on fraud, which is also before the courts in Suit No. GJ/0226/2021.
“In this case, UNICOF under the supervision of the same individuals, has admitted to procuring , in other words, engineered the stealing of a GCB Bank customer’s Statement of Account, which wrong doing, according to the Bank, Mr Nyarku-Opoku has owned up being the one from whom UNICOF obtained the said stolen document. This is a criminal misconduct, which I cannot be convinced is befitting of a Board Member.
“However, by your letter Mr Nyarku-Opoku and Mr Senanu Amagashie are telling the people of Ghana, especially members, contributors and beneficiaries of SSNIT and the Pensions Schemes as well as business community that despite their lead roles in the above fraudulent incidents, they are fit to represent Organised Labour as Board Members of SSNIT and NPRA ?
“The leadership of Organised Labour and the TUC Secretary General’s silence and inaction in immediately withdrawing them from the Boards appear to be tacitly supporting and or covering up their misconduct and thereby tainting the image and credibility of the Boards.”
Readers, from Mr Abloso’s detailed response to the lawyers of the two “unfit” persons on the Boards of SSNIT and the NPRA; is the TUC leadership still justified in pretending to be “deaf and dumb” over the whole issue ?
Contact email/ WhatsApp of author:
asmahfrankg@gmail.com (0505556179)
By G. Frank Asmah
I saw a video of two young men mistreating a guy in school uniform. The manner in which a man in a white shirt was stamping on the head of the student on the ground and kicking him, was heart wrenching. It was like a scene from an action movie.
Comments in the video made me to understand that the two people engaged in the dastardly attack on the chap on the ground were teachers. How teachers who had been trained by teacher training institutions could do what they did, defies logic; simply mind boggling.
This brings the issue of screening of would-be teachers to mind. Is there a psychological vetting system in place to identify unsuitable characters like those two teachers so that they are barred from being teachers or are helped to have the right mindset as teachers? We cannot continue to let the status quo remain and expect a different result.
Digitalisation of the economy has brought in its wake a whole lot of ways that seeks to address pertinent socio-economic issues. One of them is the introduction of the TraffiTech-GH system of regulating traffic flow without human intervention.
This clearly is an innovative way of enforcing compliance which obviously would ensure discipline and therefore safety on our roads. The drivers are raising some issues which are legitimate and must be addressed as soon as possible or should I rather say immediately.
If a Bus Stop is occupied by traders and therefore the drivers cannot stop for passengers to alight or board, they would have no option than to park in the road, blocking traffic flow, which would be an offence that TraffiTech-GH would capture as a violation and punish accordingly, by imposing a fine.
A very sad incident occurred last week resulting in the senseless murder of an uncle and her niece in the Greater Accra Region. The story making the rounds on social media was that, the uncle took a loan from the suspected murderer but failed to honour his obligation to pay back the money.
The suspect accompanied by a lady, went to the residence in the Sakumono area and a heated argument ensued, resulting in the suspect shooting the Uncle and her niece in the process. The first question that came to mind was that “Why did they not allow patience to carry the day?” If it is true that the uncle indeed owed the man, he ought to have maintained a certain demeanor that portrayed a willingness to pay the money and not to enrage the suspect in any way.
Again, if someone owes you, you do not take the law into your hands by going to confront him with a loaded gun in your pocket. The proliferation of small arms must be given serious attention.
The leaders in the educational sector need to sit up to address the misbehaviour of both students and teachers, especially the teachers who have been sexually harassing students. The fallout, in the recent Obuasi Senior High School (SHS) issue, has been an official statement directing teachers not to ask students to work in their bungalows.
This code has been in the books of the Ghana Education Service (GES) all this while. It is nothing new and so like everything else in this country, the issue is not the lack of laws but the enforcement. What I find surprising is that after breaking this code of ethics, the GES has not sacked the notorious Headmaster who evidence has been established beyond reasonable doubt that he had grossly flouted this regulation, repeatedly. This is a gross failure on the part of leadership, from the ministry level down to the school level. This must not be allowed to repeat itself. God bless.
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Buy Maps
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
Implant-based reconstruction recovery
Implant reconstruction is generally less invasive during the initial phase, allowing for a quicker return to baseline daily activities.
Initial healing window: Most patients resume light, non-strenuous daily tasks within 2 to 4 weeks.
Activity Restrictions: Heavy lifting, intense upper-body exercises, and high-impact movements are typically restricted for four to six weeks to allow the chest tissues to secure the implant or expander.
The expansion phase: If a temporary tissue expander is used, recovery includes periodic office visits over several months where the surgeon gradually adds sterile fluid to stretch the skin.
Physical therapy focus: Gentle arm and shoulder stretches begin early to prevent stiffness, frozen shoulder, and tight scar tissue formation around the implant pocket.
Autologous (Tissue-Based) reconstruction recovery
Autologous reconstruction (such as a DIEP flap) is a more complex, major operation because it involves two distinct surgical sites: the reconstructed chest mound and the donor harvest area (usually the lower abdomen).
Initial healing window: Requires a hospital stay of two to five days, with an overall recovery period of six to eight weeks before resuming normal routines.
Donor site management: Because abdominal muscles or tissues are involved, patients must avoid bending, twisting, or lifting anything heavier than a gallon of milk for at least six weeks to protect the deep facial repairs.
Mobility milestones: Recovery starts with short, gentle indoor walks immediately after surgery to promote circulation and prevent blood clots, gradually building up distance each week.
Physical therapy focus: Postural retraining and cautious core re-engagement once the surgeon gives medical clearance, ensuring the abdominal wall heals securely without strain.
Essential rehabilitation practices
Regardless of the chosen surgical path, effective physical therapy incorporates specialised techniques to restore physical freedom:
Scar mobilisation: Professional massage techniques to soften surgical scars and prevent tight binding of underlying tissues.
Lymphatic drainage: Gentle massage protocols to reduce swelling and encourage fluid movement through the lymphatic pathways.
Let’s pull together everything we have talked about into one simple, easy-to-understand guide.
Here is a summary of the complete journey-from understanding what breast cancer is and busting myths, to managing emotions and navigating surgery and recovery.
1. Is surgery a “cure”?
What it means: A mastectomy (removing the breast) is a powerful tool to take out the local tumor, but it isn’t an automatic, guaranteed cure on its own.
The Example: Think of it like pulling a weed out of a garden. You got the main plant out, but if tiny seeds or roots already spread elsewhere in the soil, you still need extra care (like medication) to make sure they don’t grow back.
2. The cancer’s “personality” (Biomarkers)
What it means: Not all breast cancers are the same. Doctors test the cancer cells for specific “locks and labels” (like hormones or proteins) to figure out how fast they grow and what medicine will stop them.
The Example: It’s like figuring out what kind of fuel a car engine takes (gasoline, diesel, or electricity) so you know exactly how to fix or run it.
3. Busting common myths
The Reality: Many rumors about breast cancer are false.
Men can get breast cancer too (about one per cent of cases) because everyone has a small amount of breast tissue.
Most lumps are harmless (like a harmless pebble in your shoe, not a dangerous nail).
Underwire bras and deodorants do not cause cancer.
Most people diagnosed (about 85 per cent) have no family history of it, which is why regular checks are vital for everyone.
By Robert Ekow Grimmond-Thompson
SKIP THE QUEUE, TAP THE NEWS
You can now read the Ghanaian Times and The Spectator newspapers from the comfort of your device via TimesNewsPlus.
Buy Maps
Join our WhatsApp Channel: https://whatsapp.com/channel/0029VbBElzjInlqHhl1aTU27
