Workers at the Ayensu Starch Factory
The Ayensu Starch Company |(ASCO) at Awutu Bawjiase in the Central Region has failed to pay entitlements to Yeboah Augustus Agyemang, a mechanic engineer, who was hired on 17th December, 2013 as a factory manager and sacked on 30th June, 2015.
ASCO promised to pay its former factory manager all the monies owed him within a period of six months from the date of his exit.
But according to Mr Yeboah, all efforts to get his money from the company through PricewaterhouseCoopers (Ghana) Limited, transaction advisors, who have assisted the shareholders of ASCO to divest 70 percent of the company’s shareholding to a strategic partner as part of what it termed ‘restructuring plans,’ have proved futile.
Mr Yeboah said ASCO was supposed to pay him an amount of GH¢45,802 as salary arrears from December 2013 to December 2015, but PricewaterhouseCooopers, in a letter dated 2 November, 2016, asserted that following reconciliation of his claim with management of ASCO, the transaction advisor validated and accepted an amount of GH¢27,148.50, being his salary and SSF in arrears from January 2014 to June 2015 as per the termination letter dated 19th June, 2015 by Kwame Akyianu, Board Chairman.
“Management of ASCO indicated that there was no employment contract with you after 30 June 2015 and therefore you are not entitled to a salary from July 2015 to December 2015.
“However, payment will only be effected once the Ministry of Trade & Industry (MoTI) has received all funds from the strategic partner, which has acquired 70 percent of the shares of ASCO.”
“I was shocked when I received a cheque of GH¢2,221.00, being my salary from ASCO on 13th January, 2016.
“I don’t know why they paid me my monthly salary again once they told me I was no more with them,” he told this paper.
In the termination letter, the Board of ASCO told Mr Yeboah that “Since your engagement, the Ministry of Trade & Industry, which is responsible for the payment of Ayensu Starch Company’s workers’ salaries, has declined several requests and appeals to absorb your salary. The company, on the other hand, does not have the financial capacity to pay your monthly salaries which are currently in arrears of over six months.”
He therefore called on the Trade Ministry to pay him the entitlements, especially after a strategic partner had taken over 70 percent of the company’s shares.
Per an MoU dated 25th June, 2013, Guinness Ghana Breweries Limited (GGBL) agreed to provide support to ASCO to enable it continue to meet cassava starch supply requirement of GGBL over a two-year period.
By Samuel Boadi
samuel10gh@yahoo.com