22nd August 2023 1:10:02 PM
3 mins readOn Monday, all staff of Ghana Railway Company in Sekondi/Takoradi convened at Ketan's Famous Bottom Tree grounds, seeking explanations for withheld salaries.
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In an atmosphere filled with frustration, the workers had extended an invitation to their Union Secretary, Goodwill Ntarmah.
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The aim was to have him address the perplexing issue of not receiving their wages for a span exceeding three months.
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Regrettably, the aggrieved workers found themselves disappointed as the day unfolded, with their union leader failing to make an appearance despite the lengthy wait.
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The unionized employees expressed their dissatisfaction at this turn of events.
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Their calls and attempts to contact Goodwill Ntarmah had gone unanswered. Their labor had continued, yet their remunerations had not been credited to their accounts. The weight of this situation was compounded by the fact that they supported families who relied on their earnings. The absence of communication about the situation added to their distress.
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“We had already invited him to come and explain to us why our salaries are not being paid. He assured us of coming but we waited for him almost the whole day and he did not show up. We have been calling him but no response. We have worked and no salaries have been hitting our accounts. We have families who depend on us but nobody has told us what is going on. We are inviting him for questions and he has refused to attend,” some of the angry workers told the media.
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Despite the absence of any official explanation for Mr. Ntarmah's no-show, it's speculated that past tensions associated with the meeting location might have played a role in his decision to abstain.
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Mr. Ntarmah is scheduled to hold a press conference on Tuesday, August 22, at the company's headquarters in Takoradi. This upcoming event is believed to be a contributing factor to his lack of response to the workers' invitation.
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Numbering more than 500, these workers have made a resolute commitment to reconvene at the same venue until they hear directly from their leader. They assert that Mr. Ntarmah was elected to champion their cause, necessitating his response to their call.
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It's worth noting that a group of retrenched workers from 2006, who have yet to receive their severance awards, recently secured a court order that prevents the railway company from accessing its bank account. This legal measure has inadvertently hindered the payment of the current workers.
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The Chairman of the retrenched workers, John Kojo Appiah, revealed in May that the Sekondi High Court had imposed this injunction after numerous unsuccessful attempts to recover their funds.
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“The Cape Coast Appeals Court ordered the payment of our money in 2015,” he had said.
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“Since then, the company has refused to pay the money to us and all efforts have proven unsuccessful. Our lawyer led us and an injunction has been placed on the accounts where salaries of workers are paid from.”
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Presently, the Ghana Railway Company is reliant on a portion of its revenue derived from transporting bauxite between Nsuta and Takoradi in order to meet its workforce's compensation requirements.
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