The Managing Director of Barclays Bank Ghana, Mrs Margaret Mwanakatwe and Laureen Lokko, Human Resource Business Partner of the bank on Tuesday appeared before an Accra Fast Track High Court on a charge of contempt of court. Eight employees of the bank have cited the two for contempt, for allegedly disobeying the orders of the court. The employees, all executive members of the Industrial and Commercial Workers Union (ICU) include Opare Yeboah, Samuel A. Anarwat, Esther Asiedu-Larbi and Angela Deku. The rest are Gariba A. Andan, Edward Boakye, Thomas Benjamin Quainoo and Mathew Kotoku. They had earlier taken the bank to court following a decision by management to introduce a new policy called "out-of-cycle policy", which makes it mandatory for a worker, promoted to a higher position, to perform his or her new function without compensation until confirmed by an external body after a year. The policy, they contend is not in the interest of workers and is a violation of their human rights and the labour law which advocates equal pay for equal work. While the case was pending in court, management of the bank dismissed the entire executives of the union on February 26, 2008. This led to the filing of the contempt case against the two management staff. In an affidavit in support of their claim, the employees alleged that "the action of the respondents in preventing them from going into their offices and carrying out their duties and responsibilities as employees of the bank is unlawful." They contend also that, "the tendency of the motion for injunction is as effective as the order of injunction itself, and even though the order is yet to be made, the two respondents are in contempt of court for disobeying and disregarding the process of the court." Counsel for the employees, Albert Adaare, said it was not right for the bank to withhold the salaries of his clients and physically obstruct them from going to their various offices to perform their duties. "It is unlawful for the bank to go ahead to summarily dismiss the employees because such dismissals can only be justified if they commit very serious offences and not when they oppose a draconian policy of the bank," he said. Counsel for respondents, Charles Hayibor, however prayed the court not to cite the Managing Director for contempt because nobody had prevented the employees from entering their offices to work and that, their salaries for January and February had been paid to them. Mr Adaare denied the claim and said since Barclays did not show any respect to the court, the respondents should be told that they were in contempt of the court. Justice Victor Ofoe, who is presiding over the case, fixed April 16, for ruling as to whether or not the two respondents were in contempt of the court. Source: The Times