Retrenched railway staff association appeals to government to pay their entitlement
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Retrenched railway staff association appeals to government to pay their entitlement
Members of the Takoradi Retrenched Railway Staff Association, have appealed to the government and management of the Ghana Railway Company Limited (GRC) to pay them their over GH¢55 million entitlement.
The members who made the appeal during a press conference in Takoradi said, on July 1, 2006 the management of the Ghana Railway Company limited decided to down size the work force of the company to match with wage bill and to make operations economical, hence, retrenched a total of 674 staff between the ages of 56 t0 60 years.
Mr John Kojo Appiah, Chairman of the association who addressed the media, said due to the failure of management to pay members their entitlements a total of 130 members have passed on because of poverty, ill health, and the inability to pay for their medical bills.
Mr Appiah explained that before they were retrenched, the Company set up a standing joint negotiation committee to negotiate and agree on terms and conditions of retrenchment emolument and fringe benefit which the affected staff by the exercise would be entitled.
He said the committee came out with terms, which the affected staff considered unfair and unconstitutional, pointed out that the terms the committee came up with was 1.35-month salary with number of years left for the affected staff to have been in service, instead of six months’ salary with number of years served which was enshrined in the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA).
The Chairman explained that the management of GRC in that regard, paid in installments only 1.35-month (2 months) salary with number of years left for the affected staff to have been in service in 2006, 2008 and 2010, instead of the six-month salary with number of years served as enshrined in the CBA.
He said the delay in the payment caused them severe financial inconveniences and hardship and eroded the value of the benefit, adding that management owed them an amount of GH¢55,658,207.41.
Mr Appiah said in June 2010, the management of GRC wrote to the leadership of retrenched staff to vacate from bungalows and quarters occupied by them within three months and that this resulted in a disagreement between the two parties.
He said since the matter could not be solved amicably the association instituted a court action in oct 2010 in the Sekondi high court and the matter was ruled in their favour.
The Chairman explained that the GRC, not satisfied with the judgement and ruling, resorted to Appeals court in Cape Coast and their appeal was dismissed in February 2022.
He said the association has been in and out of court a number of times and that it was unfortunate that both the former and present minister of Railway together with the management of GRC have never made any attempt to meet the leadership of the retrenched staff to negotiate the mode of payment of their entitlements.
“Does that mean that they have no respect for rule of law, are we not Ghanaians or it is a curse to work with GRC, we were forced to retire, suffer and die” he questioned.
“We are appealing to his excellence Nana Adoo Dankwa Akuffo-Addo President of the Republic of Ghana the Vice President, Dr Mahamud Bawumia and former President John Dramani Mahama to intervene as some of our members have died due to hardship, poverty, divorce and high medical care”
Source: GNA
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