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Ex-WVLC workers threaten demo…after accusing gov`t of deceit

By Alfred Adams Takoradi - Ghanaian Chronicle
Fri, 11 Jul 2008 | Print | E-Mail | PDF | Graphics Version
General News

RETRENCHED Workers of the defunct Western Veneer and Lumber Company (WVLC), a timber processing company based in Takoradi, have called on the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines, and the Divestiture Implementation Committee (DIC), to arrange to pay their severance awards, as a matter of urgency, within the shortest possible time.

Upon failure to do this, according to the aggrieved workers, they would be left with no other option, than to take to the streets, to demonstrate to the world how unfairly the Ministry and DIC, was treating them under a constitutional democracy.

In a two-page petition, copied to the media, and signed by a section of the workers, the workers contended that they could not fathom, why on 20th December last year, a government representative, by name Agambilla, came down to have a series of meetings with them, and gave the assurance that they would be paid their severance awards by February this year, yet that promise had not been fulfilled.

“And six months down the line, the DIC had arrogantly and disrespectfully, failed to communicate to us why it had reneged on its promise to pay us the severance award,” they said.

The WVLC was put under divestiture, and subsequently sold to ASD Lumber Ghana Limited, which is now managing the company.

As part of efforts to re-structure the company, the new managers, ASD, sent home about seventy per cent of the workers, after paying their severance package, which was part of the sale price.

“We, the workers, are facing untold hardship, such as hunger, non-payment of our childrens school fees and threat of ejection by landlords, as a result of deceit by government to retain us in the company, and as well pay our severance awards,” they noted.

At a meeting held with the leadership of the workers union, the DIC, and the Ministry of Lands, Forestry and Mines, which minutes has been sighted by The Chronicle, it was unanimously agreed that 700 workers of the company, would benefit from severance payments, and that all payments of severance awards, would be done in accordance with the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).

On the timetable for payment of the money, the four bodies came to the conclusion that it should be between January 12 and 19 this year.

Several attempts by The Chronicle to speak to management of the DIC failed. The Public Relations Officer (PRO), Mr. Charles Ayeh, failed to speak on the issue, on the grounds that he was not the appropriate person to speak.

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