An Accra High Court presided over by Her Lady, Justice Laurenda Owusu has struck out an application filed by the Ghana Mine Workers Union, the Plaintiff on the purported lay-off of 1,500 workers by the Goldfields Ghana Limited.
The application was struck out for want of prosecution.
In an interview with Counsel for the Plaintiff, Frank Davies, he explained that to constitute an action against the State (the Attorney General), a notice must be served and a statutory 30-day period must be observed, before the action is commenced.
He said that although the Attorney General is the Chief Legal advisor to government, she does not have legal directorate in all the state institutions, so if there is a case against a state institution, it has to be brought before the Attorney General to study the case and mount a defence.
“The 30-day period is to give Attorney General ample time to gather enough material and documentation from the sector ministry to be able to defend government”, Mr. Davies added.
The Plaintiff, Ghana Mine Workers Union, did not give the Attorney General the required notice hence the application to compel the Plaintiff to adhere to the provision.
The judge adjourned the case to 8th February, 2018 to take cognizance of the 30-day period.
The Ghana Mine Workers Union has sued the Goldfields Ghana Limited for laying off 1,500 members of staff.
Source: GhanaJustice/F.Kyeremateng
