Some of the workers
Workers of the Plantations Socfinaf Ghana (PSG), an oil palm processing company at Daboase in the Wassa East District of the Western Region has embarked on a sit down strike over what they described as ‘poor working conditions’.
The aggrieved workers asserted that the company had allegedly breached the Collective Bargaining Agreement (CBA) and that every effort to get the management to comply had proven futile.
They pointed out that they are being denied every incentive associated with the work including risk allowance, pension payment and bonuses.
“The company has breached the CBA and as workers we have subsequently forwarded our petition to the union but we are yet to get any feedback,” they said.
“We work for 27 days but our salary is not calculated based on the number of days we work. My brother, PSG pays us for only 22 working days and the company is not ready to make amendment to this condition”, a worker alleged.
The workers told journalists that one of the conditions in the CBA was that they were to be made permanent workers after working for 10 years adding, “But some workers have worked for more than 10 years and they are yet to be made permanent workers.”
“This is the second time we are embarking on a strike, our first strike was last three weeks and since the company did not heed to our demands, we are embarking on another strike till they listen to us.”
The workers pointed out that their strike action would continue for a week if the management continue to turn deaf ears to their pleas.
Meanwhile, management of PSG is yet to make any comment on the workers’ allegations.
From Emmanuel Opoku, Takoradi