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12.12.2008 Business & Finance

Ex-employee wins against ProCredit

12.12.2008 LISTEN
By The Statesman

Procredit Savings and Loans Company Limited has lost a case of unfair termination of employment at the National Labour Commission.

The case involved Kofi Karikari Amponsah, a former employee of ProCredit Savings and Loans Company whose appointment with the company was terminated on May 20th 2008, but after hearing the matter the NLC decided last month that he was unfairly terminated.

The Commission has therefore ordered ProCredit to pay compensation to the petitioner from the date of his termination to the end of November 2008, the month in which the ruling was made, using the gross pay of his last pay as basis. The company is to comply with this decision within fourteen days of receipt of the decision.

In a letter stating the decision of the NLC signed by Opanin Obeng-Fosu, member of NLC, the Commission said the termination did not follow the normal procedure of query, oral warning, written warning, demotion, suspension, termination and summary dismissal as stated in the Human Resources Manual of ProCredit.

The NLC's decision noted it seemed ProCredit was in haste to part company with the petitioner hence the normal procedure was not followed.

Mr Amponsah lodged his petition with the Commission in a letter dated 16th July 2008 which the commission received on 17th  July, 2008.

Upon his termination the company gave him one month salary in lieu of notice.

According to a top labour personality who pleaded anonymity, the decision of the NLC is a victory for workers and unions; especially in this case where

Mr Karikari was not a member of UNICOF yet was represented by its Deputy General Secretary, John Esiape.

When contacted, Mr Esiape explained that Mr Amponsah approached the union for assistance and so with the consent of his general secretary, he agreed to stand for Mr Amponsah in his capacity as an industrial relations practitioner because he had no one to represent him.

Kofi Karikari Amponsah"s case is different from another impending unfair termination matter involving a UNICOF member whose appointment at ProCredit was terminated  NLC stepped in and ordered a compulsory arbitration after a planned strike action last month by UNICOF was averted at the last moment.

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