WORKERS of Forewin Ghana Limited, a multi-national import and export company located along the Spintex Road in the Greater Accra Region are boiling with anger, Today can report.
Their anger, according to information available to Today, follows what the workers perceived as ‘intimidating tactics being employed by the Mr. Alexander Kyerematen-led management to smoke out workers who openly express their opinions on issues affecting the company.
Latest to face the wrath of the management were fifty (15) workers at the Kia Section of the company who were dismissed on Friday, February 17, 2017.
Some of the affected workers, Today gathered, had worked with the company for the past ten years without any official appointment letters making them permanent staff.
A letter by the affected workers dated Tuesday, March 7, 2017 sent to the Legal Aid and National Labour Commission which Today has stumbled upon read in part: “We the above mentioned group of workers wish to register our displeasure without any fear of equivocation about the illegal and unwarranted dismissal meted to us by the management of Forewin Ghana Limited.”
The letter continues, “This illegitimate event occurred on Friday, February 17, 2017. On that fateful day, we all reported to work as usual and reminded our manager, Mr. Ahmed Muslemani, in respect of an earlier agreement reached between us (Kia Section) and management relating to a review of our daily wage. The company reviews our daily wage annually in consonance with the labour law which is the normal practice.”
It said “subsequent to our sit down strike on Friday, February 17, 2017 the Human Resource Manager of the company, Mr. Alexander Kyerematen, who is currently managing the company, called us into an unplanned meeting.”
“At the said meeting , we emphasised to management how unfair we feel about the delay of this year’s review of our daily wage which in the past, was done at the beginning of every new year mostly early part of January.
“…we were informed at the meeting that management has resolved to make us permanent staff and insisted we accept the offer or otherwise vacate the premises instantly,” the letter indicated.
It pointed out that “we pleaded for some time to think through this option fervently before any response which they declined.”
The letter added that “we were shocked to the bone when management dispatched a heavily detailed security to drive us away from the premises like hardened criminals. These actions were found monstrous and very alien to labour laws.
It asserted that “because, there was no official communication to us. On the contrary, another group of workers of the same company by name Senior Gang (Container Section) performing similar responsibility like us have had their daily wage reviewed upwards twice this year.”
The letter lamented that “the most bizarre scenario at Forewin Ghana Limited is that the conditions of service for permanent staff members are more porous as compared to that of casual workers. This is not the ideal situation in other organisations.”
“We hereby want to use this medium to make a passionate appeal to your good office for a vigorous investigation into these pertinent issues since they bother on our source of livelihood.
When Today contacted Mr. Kyerematen on Wednesday, March 22, 2017 for his reaction, he confirmed that his outfit had received a letter from the National Labour Commission which has fixed Tuesday, April 4, 2017 to hear the matter.
“As I am speaking to you now we have received a letter from the National Labour Commission asking to see us on Tuesday, April 4, 2017. I have sent the letter to our company lawyer for advice.
“…but as the matter stands now I cannot talk to you (referring to our reporter) because we do not have any worker that we have laid off. Period! We are ready to meet those workers at the National Labour Commission,” Mr. Kyerematen told Today.
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